


She's My Winter

by BurningRoseArts



Category: Loki - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Ending, Avengers - Freeform, Canon Divergence - Avengers (2012), Dom Loki, F/M, Kidnapping, King Loki, Loki Angst, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Needs a Hug, Master/Pet, Starts During Avengers, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5716180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurningRoseArts/pseuds/BurningRoseArts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's starting a war to claim Midgard and retrieve the Tesseract for the Other. While he waits for his army to be amassed, he looks for a distraction, something with which to entertain himself. Discovering a young woman in a bookstore, he finds just what he's always wanted- a sweet little pet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, this is my first posting on here. I was watching Avenger's and had a crazy thought. I turned it into something more tangible. Hope someone out there enjoys!

Loki remained in the back of the truck for the length of the trip. He instructed Agent Barton to find a discrete and well defensible location for him to start working on building his force. Doctor Selvig requested some place he could start working with the Tesseract again. Normall, Agent Barton would know exactly where to take them. He was familiar with the area and knew of a few places he could take them. Unfortunately, they were known S.H.I.E.L.D. safe houses. So he drove. He drove on back roads and kept off the highways and interstates for as long as he could. They needed to find a small city. Driving north-east, Agent Barton stopped the vehicle a couple miles outside the city, telling Loki and Doctor Selvig to stay with the vehicle and wait for him to return. Agent Barton knew Loki would draw far too much attention. It would be easier for him to go into town himself and find new, unmarked, transportation and a place to set up a base of operations. 

Two hours later, Agent Barton returned in an SUV. He took Loki and Doctor Selvig into the city to an old building that had clearly been for sale for quite a few years. He easily broke in and took the men to the sub-basement. Doctor Selvig immediately told Loki and Agent Barton what materials and man power he’d need to continue his work with the Tesseract. Agent Barton claimed he’d be able to find people to join Loki’s force and work with Selvig- willingly or otherwise. He also claimed he would be able to get most of the materials for Selvig over the course of a couple days. Loki gave him the go-ahead, before turning to leave.

“Sir, where are you going?” Agent Barton asked.

“To explore. I wish to see where you have brought us, and find something to entertain me while you work on get things set up. I will return shortly, Agent.”

“Sir, it’s the middle of the night. It will be very suspicious for you to be walking around, especially looking like that. If you are so keen on exploring, I advise you wait until after dawn. Agent’s Marks and O’Brien will be going out for food and supplies as it is. They could go with you.”

Though irritated at being told to stop and wait, Loki saw the logic behind Agent Barton’s advice. He sighed heavily and took a seat in a nearby chair, watching as Agent Barton made lists and arrangements with Doctor Selvig. After a while Loki decided to look around His new, but temporary, compound. There was the large central area in the very middle of the sub-basement level, with several corridors leading to other areas. Each corridor held doorways into other rooms. Some of them had large mechanical equipment, rusted, cobwebbed and long forgotten. Some of the rooms were just cement walls, ceiling and floor with nothing else but a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. Loki found a few he deemed worthy as holding cells, should the need arise. And another he claimed as his personal chamber. He summoned his seidr to create some furnishings more to his liking. A large, comfy bed against one corner. A couple wing-backed chairs with a table and lamp for reading. A table and a chair for eating and planning. And several plush rugs on the concrete floor. 

Nearly four hours later, Agent’s Marks and O’Brien came to let Loki know they were leaving. Loki followed them out of the building and to another SUV. He remained in the car, watching people start their days, unaware of him, as the two agents shopped for food and supplies. On their way back to the building, Loki noticed a small storefront window littered with books. 

“Stop the car. I wish to get out and look around,” Loki commanded. 

“Yes, sir.” Agent Marks brought the car to the side of the road, finding a parking spot right in front of the bookstore. Loki moved to open the car door. “Sir, perhaps we should find you some different clothes before you go out. You will bring a lot of attention to yourself dressed as you are.”

“It will be fine. I have no desire to wear your crude Midgardian garments,” Loki hissed. He threw the door open and proceeded to walk into the bookstore.

“Good morning!” he heard a young woman call as he walked through the door. 

Loki turned his attention, briefly, to the young woman behind the counter. There were stacks of books everywhere, including on the counter, almost hiding her. She was at least a foot shorter than he, with long red hair pulled into a loose french braid that ended just below her waist. Loki was almost surprised to see her. Her smile unwavering, sitting behind the stack of books, she looked so sweet. Genuinely beautiful. Intriguing and stunning. 

“How are you doing, this morning?” she asked with a genuinely gracious smile, which made her emerald green eyes twinkle.

“Better and better,” Loki stated. He continued to look around the store, taking in the different rows and stacks of books. As he explored, he came across a few titles and picked them up. He brought them to the counter and set them in front of the woman. “Have you read any of these?” Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, The Tragedies of William Shakespeare, The Devil in Silver and Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales. 

The woman set the book she’d been reading on the counter and marked her page. She picked up the books to read their titles. “Yes, yes, no and yes. We just got this one in and it hasn’t made it’s way to the top of my list, yet,” she said of The Devil in Silver.

“How far down is it?” Loki asked, with a charming smile.

“Oh, man, I don’t know. Let me think.” The woman scrunched up her face and began counting on her fingers, trying her best to remember the books she’d wanted to read. “It’s about 20 deep.”

“That is a rather long list of books to read.”

“Well, to be fair, some of them are for school. Which means I’ll breeze through them quickly.” Loki was beginning to enjoy the sound of her voice. There was a strange lilt to it that made it rather soothing.

“What are you going to school for?” He wasn’t sure why he was curious, he just wanted to know. Or perhaps he just wanted to hear her voice.

The young woman’s expression changed, just barely. She cast her eyes down, a pale blush colored her cheeks and her shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly. “I’m going to school for Fine Art and History Education.”

“Why do you say it that way?” Loki asked. It was almost as if she were embarrassed about her education choices. 

“I’m just used to people giving me a hard time for being an artist and history enthusiast.” She swept a stray strand of hair behind her ears. Loki had yet to look away, and was staring so intently she was becoming uncomfortable. “So, um... Was there something specific you were looking for?”

Before Loki could answer, the two agents came, hurriedly, into the store. “Sir, Agent Barton says he needs you back at base.”

Loki nodded before turning his attention back to the young woman behind the counter. She was still waiting for his reply. “What is your name?” he asked.

She smiled, again, nervously. “Um... Winter. Do you want me to ring these up for you, sir?”

“That won’t be necessary. Agent’s, I’ve found what I’m looking for.” He grabbed the four books he’d found, as well as the book Winter had been reading and turned to leave. As he passed the Agent’s, ignoring Winter’s protests of him stealing, he said, “Bring the woman. But do not harm her.”

Loki left the store, books in hand, and returned to the SUV. Only a few minutes later, Agent Marks opened the other door and shoved the bound and gagged Winter into the seat next to Loki, while Agent O’Brien got behind the steering wheel. Agent Marks got into the SUV beside Winter, sandwiching her between himself and Loki. 

“Back to the base, Agent O’Brien,” Loki commanded. As the vehicle made its way back to the make-shift base, Loki turned his attention to the woman beside him. She was looking at him with terrified eyes, though to her credit, she hadn’t started crying. He swept a red curl out of her eye and tucked it into her hair. A feral grin etched itself across Loki’s face. “My dear Flower. Don’t fret, no one will harm you.” He caressed her cheek gently with the tips of his fingers. Winter whimpered against the cloth in her mouth and tried to shrug away from Loki, only to be pushed roughly in the back by Agent Marks. The grin on Loki's face widened as he moved his hand from her cheek to her forehead. A green mist swirled around his hand and her head. Just as it disappeared, Winter’s eyes rolled back and closed. Unconscious, she slumped sideways, into Loki’s chest. Loki carefully pushed her to rest back into her own spot.

No one spoke as Agent O’Brien drove back to the abandoned building. Loki let the Agent’s unload the supplies from the SUV while he took Winter into the compound. He ignored Agent Barton’s inquisitive stare as he carried the unconscious woman into his chamber. He laid her on the bed and removed the gag and bindings around her wrist. 

When he finally emerged from his chamber, he found Agent Barton waiting in the corridor. 

“Sir, there are some possible recruits in the holding rooms,” Agent Barton said.

“Very well. I want a guard posted on this door. No one goes in, no one comes out unless I say so,” Loki explained. He turned to his door and grabbed the handle. A green fog engulfed the handle for a moment before being absorbed into the metal. 

“Yes, sir.” Agent Barton took a moment to glance at the door. “Who’s the woman, sir?”

“My new pet. My entertainment.” Loki stepped past Agent Barton and made his way to the holding room.


	2. Chapter 2

Her hand slid against something soft. Without opening her eyes, Winter began feeling around her surroundings. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t her bed. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found herself lying on a bed in a room she was completely unfamiliar with. As she laid still, scanning the room, she noticed only a single door and no windows. The walls and ceiling were concrete, but clean. The bed was large, perhaps king sized, and there were two chairs sitting against the corner adjacent to the bed. The room was rather spacious, but not very warm or inviting. There was a small table next to the bed with a lamp and a couple of books. There was another small table between the chairs, and a larger one with a single wooden chair sitting against the wall opposite from the chairs and bed, next to the only door. The lamp on the table between the chairs was on, as well as the one on the table across the room. As Winter took in the room, she suddenly became aware she was not alone in the room. Sitting in one of the chairs, with a book on his lap, was the raven haired man from the bookstore. The memory crashed back to the front of Winter’s mind. That man. He had abducted her. Fear and panic began clouding her thoughts. She didn’t remember falling asleep, but clearly she had. Which means she didn’t know where they’d brought her. Staring at the man from her spot on the bed, she tried desperately to stay calm. Who was this man? He was definitely dressed strangely. She remembered he had a smooth voice and charming accent. From where she laid, and the shadows cast on his face by the table lamp, she recognized he was extremely attractive, almost regal. Sharp cheekbones, strongly defined jaw and rather pale. She remembered he was also rather tall, at least a foot taller than her. 

A knock at the door interrupted her silent study of her abductor. The man marked his page, set the book on the table and stood up. Winter closed her eyes when he started turning to look at the bed. She wasn’t ready to let him know she was awake, yet. She heard him begin to move, assuming the footsteps were heading to the door. Cracking her eyes, just barely enough to see, she saw him open the door and take a tray from the person on the other side of the door. When he turned back into the room, she closed her eyes again and listened. He moved across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

“I know you are awake, Winter,” he said, quietly. 

Sighing, Winter slowly opened her eyes. The man was standing next to the bed, pouring water from a bottle into two glasses. 

“Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asked. He sat down on the edge of the bed, causing Winter to flinch and scoot further back on the bed, trying to sit up but finding herself tangled in the bed covers. Smiling, almost charmingly, the man pulled the covers away. He held the water glass out and waited for her to take it. 

“W-who are you?” Winter asked. “Where am I?” She didn’t take the glass, but rather attempted to move further from him.

“I am Loki, Prince of Asgard. You are safe, in my temporary compound,” Loki explained as he put the glass back on the tray. “I did not poison or drug the water or food. If I wanted to harm or kill you, I would not have bothered to bring you here.”

“Why am I here?” she asked in a whisper. 

Loki looked at the young woman sitting with her knees curled up against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs. He put some fruit, bread and cheese on a plate and set it on the bed in front of her. “You should eat. You’ve been asleep for most of the day.”

“Why am I here? Who are you?” Winter asked a little louder, fear lacing it’s way into her voice, making it tremble.

Loki took a bite of an apple. He chewed in silence while he tried to figure out what to tell her. “You are here for me. I am starting a war and wish for a distraction, or comfort. I was just looking for something to entertain me, but didn’t know what I was looking for, until I saw you. I knew I wanted you. My new Pet.” There was a hungry glint in his eyes when his smile finally touched them.

Winter shrank back further into the bed, finally getting to the wall. “What?”

“I have to leave soon. You must eat before then.” Loki nudged the plate further towards Winter. “I will be leaving the water, but taking the food when I leave. When I am not in this room, the door will be locked, from the outside. I will bring food to you when I deem it time to eat. For every time you decide to not eat when I offer you food, I will push your meals back. You seem a clever woman, if you try to leave this room without my express permission I will chain you to the bed when I leave. If you behave, do as I say, I will start letting you join me outside this room. I expect you to obey me without question. In return, I will protect you and keep you at my side when I become King. Now eat.” As he spoke, his tone changed. Instead of sounding gentle and calm, his voice started picking up a menacing, angry edge. His eyes flashed with danger. Winter couldn’t stifle the terrified gasp from escaping her throat.

This man is insane, she thought.

Loki took a plate of fruit, bread and cheese back to the chair he’d been sitting in earlier. Winter eyed the plate in front of her. It was just some fruit and cheese. And her stomach was grumbling, but she was far too anxious and nervous to make herself eat. She slowly moved to the edge of the bed and put the plate back on the tray. She let her legs fall over the side of the bed, looking at the water glass. Licking her dry lips, she took the glass and took several gulps before setting it back on the table. Looking around the room again, she still saw only one door. 

“Um... L-Loki?” Her voice was barely above a whisper and when he didn’t respond right away, she assumed he hadn’t heard her. She cleared her throat and tried again, a touch louder. “Excuse me, Loki?”

“Yes, Flower?” he answered. He finally looked over at her.

“I... um... Can I... I mean...” His gaze seemed to freeze her resolve. Her heart was hammering against her ribs and she suddenly forgot how to breath. She snapped her eyes shut and turned her head away. 

“What do you want, Flower?” he asked, clearly irritated. 

Winter did her best to collect her thoughts and control her breathing. “Bathroom. Please.” 

He didn’t say anything. And she was too afraid to look at him. But suddenly he was in front of her, his fingers under her chin, pulling it up so she had to look at him. “Of course, Flower. Anything, for you. You only need ask.” He wrapped his hand around her upper arm and pulled her to her feet. Instinctively, Winter tried to pull free, but his grip was far too strong. “The bathroom is across the hall. Unfortunately, I do not have my own in this room. But as I said, it is only temporary. Come.” 

Loki led Winter out of the room into a concrete and brick hallway. Immediately, Winter’s mind came back to her and she started looking around with intent. To her left, the corridor stretched out a few more feet then opened to a large chamber. She saw several men standing around, talking and moving about with a sense of urgency. To her right, the hallway stretched out several more yards before ending at a set of stairs. With this bit of information, their surroundings made Winter realize she was being held in an underground bunker of some sort. Before she could take in anything more, Loki opened a door in the opposite wall and led Winter into a small bathroom. A shower stall with no curtain or door was in the far corner. The toilet was next to it. A pedestal sink and small medicine cabinet against the other wall. There was a single, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling and a drain in the floor in the shower stall. There was no lid on the toilet, and the whole room had a dank, musty smell. Winter visibly shuddered.

“I know. Not very fit for a King, or his Pet. But it’s what we have for now. At least we are the only ones to use it. There is a locker room down the other corridor the rest of my men use.” Loki waved his hand and a fresh washcloth appeared on the edge of the sink. “I will give you five minutes to relieve yourself and freshen up.”

Loki left Winter in the bathroom and shut the door behind him. 

When Loki escorted Winter back to the room, the food and tray were gone. The water pitcher and glass were still on the bedside table, however. Loki smirked when he heard her stomach growl.

“Perhaps, you should have acknowledged my kindness and eaten when I offered you food,” he said in a low, menacing tone. He shoved Winter roughly towards the bed. “I must leave now, Flower. Behave yourself while I am gone. There will be guards posted at this door and if they tell me you tried to escape, you will regret it. Understand, Flower?”

Winter could only nod. She wasn’t sure what else to do. This was far too surreal and she found herself having trouble grasping what was happening. 

“I will bring you some new, more suitable clothes when I return.” Loki pointed at the stack of books on the floor between the chairs. “The one you were reading this morning is on the top of the stack.” He reached out and ran his fingers through Winter’s messy hair, almost affectionately. Suddenly, he wrapped his fingers in her hair, near her scalp, and pulled her harshly so she was facing him. He pulled her close and before she could react, his lips crashed down against hers in a heated, very possessive kiss.

Before Winter could cope with what he’d just done, Loki let go of her, turned to the door and left her. As the door slammed shut, Winter sunk to the floor, trembling. 

What was happening? Winter thought. Who was this man? Why was this happening to her? 

Winter’s mind was going numb with fear and questions. The weight of everything was crashing down on her and the only thing she could manage to do was sob, quietly. She sat on the plush rug, legs curled up against her chest, face buried in her knees.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Thank you everyone for the comments and kudos. I'm terribly shy about letting people read my stories, so this is a huge step for me. So thanks for the considerations. I just started a new job, and celebrated my birthday, so it may be a little longer between posting, but I promise to try and get the story going a little faster.
> 
>  
> 
> \-----------------------------------

It was several hours later, very near midnight, when Loki returned to his room. He was exhausted, hungry but relatively pleased with how things were progressing. Agent Barton had been a very useful mortal. He seemed to have connections with the right sort of people either to out right join Loki’s army, or to supply it. And Dr. Selvig was making impressive progress on the machine that would harness the Tesseract’s energy and open another portal. According to Dr. Selvig, the machine would be ready to install at the top of the tower in a few more days. They just needed to find a couple more materials. Something called Iridium- Agent Barton was looking into where to find it now.

Upon entering the room, Loki found all the table lamps on, and Winter curled up, sleeping on one of the chairs. There was a book on her lap, the same one she had been reading earlier that day. Her legs were curled up under her, sitting on her left hip, resting against the wing-back of the chair. And she was shivering. Loki took a moment to assess the room. His Jotun blood made him indifferent to the temperature, but now, reaching out with his senses, he could tell it was rather cold and dank in this room. It was a sub-level basement, after all. He looked at his bed and realized there was just a thin, linen sheet. Knowing he’d be far too warm for his comfort if he created more blankets or some sort of space heater, Loki settled on conjuring warmer clothes for his pet. He flicked his fingers in the direction of the bed and a dark emerald green, knee length, satin nightgown appeared, accompanied by a black dressing robe. 

Loki stood in front of the young woman. He took the book from her lap and carefully began tracing his fingers along her cheek and neck. When he saw her start stirring, he purred, “Wake up, Flower. Food will be here soon.”

Hearing his voice snapped Winter away from sleep rather suddenly. She opened her eyes and gasped at seeing him looming above her. Her initial reaction was to flinch away, but the chair gave her no where to go. Her reaction didn’t escape his notice, causing him to become agitated. His long, nimble fingers closed around her neck and he shoved her roughly against the back of the chair, the force tipping the chair off it’s front legs and balanced precariously on the back legs.

“My dear Flower,” he said with a smirk, moving himself so he was level with Winter while keeping the pressure constant. “I understand you are still getting used to your new... situation. But I am not known to be patient at the best of times. I suggest you start trying to be more... receptive to my touch.” His eyes drifted over her small body. When his eyes came back to rest on her face, he felt a thrill charge through him at the fear flickering across her face. “It would be easier and more rewarding for both of us if you didn’t fight me.” He licked his lips. Despite what he said being true, he hoped she’d fight him. It would be more rewarding, more indulgent if she had a fire he could stoke and smother as he willed. Loki leaned into Winter and claimed her lips. They were trembling and dry, but so satisfying. And then he felt it. Her resolve to fight, to stop him from taking more than she was willing to give him. It’s part of what drew him to her at the bookstore. A defiant confidence. A sense of self-worth and acknowledgement most mortal’s he’s met could only fake. He knew she’d be the perfect distraction from the tediousness of war and death. And once she finally submitted to him, she’d be a great comfort against the pain and nightmares. 

Winter broke the kiss by shoving as hard as she could against Loki’s chest. A knock at the door stopped Loki before he could rebuke her for her boldness. He gave her another shove for good measure before getting up and answering the door. The chair jolted violently as the front legs hit the floor, causing Winter to nearly fall out off the seat.

After Loki released her and walked to the door, Winter felt the tremble that had started in her lips run through her whole body. She watched as Loki accepted a tray before shutting the door. Keeping her eyes trained on her captor, Winter straightened herself in the chair. Loki put the tray on the table across the room and turned his attentions back to his Pet.

“Before we have dinner, I have some clothes for you on the bed. I will also allow you 15 minutes in the bathroom, if,” he paused as he looked her over again. “If you tell me the truth.”

Winter swallowed. “Truth about what?”

“Did you attempt to escape?” he asked in a silky voice. Winter knew he was baiting her. Sounding beautiful so he could snap when she answered.

“No. At this moment, there is no point. I don’t know where I am. All I know is I’m locked in a room in a bunker or basement surrounded by a lot of people armed to the teeth,” Winter admitted. “Besides, there is no locking mechanism on the door.” She looked at the door with a sigh.

“So you at least examined your surroundings?” Loki smirked.

Winter nodded, unable to meet his gaze. 

“Clever girl,” Loki purred. He approached Winter with a predatory grace. He held his hand out to her. “Come, Flower, I promised you could use the bathroom. For your cooperation, I’m willing to let you have as much time as you wish for a shower, if you wish.”

Winter looked from his hand to his face with trepidation, but eventually placed her small hand in his. Loki curled his fingers around her hand and pulled her to her feet. Holding her hand firmly, he led her out of the room, across the hall and into the bathroom. Winter had somehow managed to forget just how unpleasant the bathroom was. 

“I don’t want to shower here,” she said in a small voice. The idea of being in this room long enough to shower bothered her. Made her skin crawl. There was no way she would feel clean in that shower stall. 

“Very well,” Loki whispered. He let go of Winter’s hand and slipped behind her. “I will be back for you in 15 minutes. There is a washcloth on the basin. There are cleansers, soaps, lotions and oils in the cabinet. If you finish before I get back, there will be two guards outside the door to bring you back to me. Understand?” Loki placed his hands on Winter’s arms just below the shoulders and leaned in close to her ear as he spoke. She had to bite her bottom lip, hard, to keep from flinching away from him. His words from earlier still hanging like a threat in her mind. She could only manage a slight nod to affirm his question. When Loki was assured of her compliance and understanding, he straightened and place a gentle, almost affectionate, kiss to Winter’s temple before letting her go. “Good girl.”

Winter found herself counting to thirty before allowing herself to acknowledge that Loki had left. His presence was so imposing she found it took a few seconds to adjust after he’d leave. Once she composed herself the best she could, Winter went about cleaning herself up.

Standing at the sink, patting her face dry, Winter was startled by the sound of a knock on the door. 

Fifteen minutes must be up, she thought to herself. Winter set the towel on the sink edge and walked to the door. Opening it, she found Loki standing, patiently, on the other side. Without saying anything, he held out his hand. Reluctantly, Winter put her trembling hand in his. Smiling, he turned and led her back into his room. 

Shutting the door behind them, Loki started leading Winter towards the bed. Once she realized he was pulling her to the bed, however, she stopped walking and tried to pull out of his grasp. Loki turned to give her an exasperated look. 

“Relax, I have no intention of bedding you, yet. I’m saving you for after my victory. If I can.” Loki pulled Winter roughly into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. Loki bent his head and started nuzzling against Winter’s neck. He kicked and nipped the supple flesh, making her squirm. “As for right now,” he purred against her ear. “I only meant to give you the new clothes I’d promised earlier. If you still want them.” He shoved Winter towards the bed so suddenly, she stumbled and fell on it. “When you finish getting changed, you can eat.”

Loki left Winter by the bed and sauntered to his chair. He took one plate of food, balanced it on the arm of the chair and opened his book. Winter waited, until he had started reading before she changed from her work clothes into the green nightgown. Years of having lot of friends who were boys made her adept in the stealth change. She removed her shirt first, then pulled on the nightgown on over her bra and jeans. Once she was hidden under the nightgown, she slid the jeans off, then unhooked her bra and pulled it off. She folded her clothes and set them on the floor at the foot of the bed. When she turned around, Loki was staring at her. 

“That was both interesting to watch, and disappointing,” he said. “Now, come here, Flower.” Winter took a breath to steady her already shot nerves. She grabbed the black robe from the bed and slid it on before slowly walking over to the sitting area. She went to sit in the chair opposite Loki, but he reached out faster than a cobra strike and ensnared her wrist in a long-fingered hand. Winter yelped in surprise as he pulled her into his lap. As soon as she landed, Winter struggled to get free, but Loki was far too strong. The hand around her wrist moved and wrapped around her waist. The other hand closed around her throat. “Flower, what did I warn you earlier?” He waited for Winter to still before continuing, though he left his hands in place. “If you wish to eat, I suggest you stay where I put you. Understand?”  
Winter did her best to nod her understanding. Loki let go of her throat and turned his attention to the plate on the arm of the chair. He picked up a couple pieces of fruit and popped them into his mouth. He took another piece and looked at Winter. Loki could see the hunger evident in her eyes. A wolfish grin spread across his pale, handsome face. He brought the fruit to Winter’s lips. “Open,” he commanded, tapping the fruit against Winter’s bottom lip. Hesitantly, Winter opened her mouth and allowed Loki to set the small berry on her tongue. 

Loki continued to feed Winter in this manner. While she chewed, or drank the water he’d offer, he would run his fingers through her hair. The action would cause Winter to flinch each time, but Loki didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He was enjoying Winter’s act of submission too much to be upset about a couple of small movements. Once the plates and glasses were empty, Loki helped Winter stand up. He took the food tray back to the door. Opening the door, he called for someone to take the tray away, then returned to the room. He sat back down on his chair, pulling Winter with him. He began reading his book, while petting her hair. After a while, the stress and anxiety of the situation caused a powerful wave of exhaustion to crash through Winter’s mind and body. She did her best to stifle a yawn behind a hand, but Loki noticed. 

“Are you tired, little one?” Loki smirked.

Immediately, Winter shook her head and tried to convince him that she wasn’t. But it was far too obvious after the second yawn. Winter couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She wasn’t sure what she was afraid of, but she knew she was afraid. She was uncomfortable with the idea of falling asleep, being that vulnerable, around this man. Loki’s smirk turned downright devious. 

“Very well, Flower, if you are not ready to sleep, we can just stay right here.” Loki put his book back on the table and began turning his full attention on Winter. He grabbed a fist full of her red hair and brought it to his face. Inhaling deeply, Loki’s eyes closed as he took in her luscious scent. Sweet and sensual vanilla, rich, spicy amber and a beautiful subtle musk of rose. It was intoxicating. No longer concerned with restraining his urges, Loki growled deep in his chest and began nuzzling into Winter’s neck. Without thinking, Winter just reacted, letting out a squeak of surprise, she brought her hands up to push against Loki’s chest in protest. Consumed with desire, Loki ignored her feeble struggles. He began licking and biting the nape of her neck. His hands began roaming, roughly, over her sides. Loki didn’t register Winter’s protests until her struggles against him slid her from his lap and she landed roughly on the cold floor. 

“What did I tell you?” he snarled, looking down at her from his chair. Winter just looked back up at him, tears in her eyes, one hand gently rubbing her neck, the other against her left side where his fingers had dug harshly. 

“I asked you to stop,” Winter whimpered. “I-I don’t li-like to b-be touched. P-please.” The last word was just a whispered sob. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she couldn’t bring herself to look up at him. 

Loki bent over, grabbed Winter by the arms and yanked her up to stand with him. “I care not! You are mine, and I will do to you as I please.” He pulled her over to the bed and shoved her, unceremoniously, onto it. 

A knock at the door interrupted Loki from his pursuits. With a deadly angry look, he left Winter on the bed and went to the door. 

“Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt, but Agent Barton and Dr. Selvig requests your presence,” said a man from the other side of the door.

“I’ll be with them presently,” Loki growled. Shutting the door, he returned to the bed and loomed over Winter. “You’ve been granted a small reprieve, Flower. Take this time to consider your place. You are here to please me. Distract me. And next time, I will not let anything keep me from claiming what I mine.” Loki grabbed Winter by the back of the head and captured her lips with his own in a crushing force. No sooner had he started the kiss, he ended it. He released his grip and left her, half sitting, half laying on the edge of the bed. His armor manifesting itself around him as he left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short, but I'm making up for it by posting two chapters in a row! Thank you everyone for reading and enjoying this fanfic and all your encouraging comments!
> 
>  
> 
> \----------------

Loki was enraged at being interrupted. He slammed the door behind him and stormed down the hall to where Doctor Selvig had started working on the machine. 

“What?” Loki snarled. 

“Sir,” Doctor Selvig was clearly surprised to see Loki in such a state. “I-I...” he looked to Agent Barton. 

“We have a problem with a couple of the recruits. The scepter’s power is... well... you just have to see, Sir.” Agent Barton led Loki to the rooms designated as holding cells. 

Agent Barton walked in first, weapon drawn. Loki, scepter in hand, followed. What he saw did not surprise him. Three men were tied to chairs, manic, depraved expressions plastered to their sweat soaked faces. Their eyes were the same glowing, crystal blue as the others under the influence of the scepter. But the glint in their eyes was clearly that of a being possessed with a need to kill. They each had terrible wounds and blood sprayed all over themselves. It was clear they’d been fighting. And Loki had not given them reason to.

“We found them behind the lab area. That one was carving up one of Selvig’s assistants. That one was fighting with the other one over who got the next assistant. I’m sorry, Sir. It appears the effects of the scepter are more drastic on certain behaviors than I initially thought. I was just looking for quantity. I’ll be more careful, next time.” Agent Barton waited for Loki to assess the situation.

“Are there men you can trust, Agent Barton?” Loki finally asked.

“Yes, Sir.” 

“Coordinate a watch. I want everyone on your list of trusted recruits to keep their eyes open. If anything like this happens again, I want to know about it. I want this taken care of. Is that clear, Agent Barton?” 

“Yes, Sir.” Agent Barton raised his gun level with the head of one of the manic men. “Shall I dispose of them, Sir.”

“Please do. And do not disturb me for the rest of the night unless it is absolutely necessary.” Before Loki left the room, he realized he recognized one of the men. The man who had carved up the lab assistant had originally been assigned to watch Loki’s room while he was gone. This man had been notified there was a woman in the room. Something about this didn’t sit right with Loki. He made a mental note to be more cautious with the men he trusted to watch his new Pet. “Get as much information from them as you can before disposing of them, Agent Barton.” Agent Barton only nodded. 

Loki stormed out of the room to the sound of gun shots ringing in the air. He made his scepter disappear and went back to his room. He opened the door and shut it quietly, noticing the sleeping woman in his bed. She was breathing soundly, slow and quiet. Dried tears trailed down her cheeks. Loki decided to just let her be, waking her just to torment her was not something he had the energy for, at the moment. Instead, Loki removed his armor and leather jacket and settled himself on the bed next Winter. She stirred, just barely, at his presence on the bed, but not enough to wake up. Loki nestled in close to her, pulled the blanket around them, and slowly drifted into sleep. 

~~~~~~~

Winter woke up, sometime later. She felt like it should be morning. But with no windows and no clocks in this dank basement room, she had no true concept of time. If felt like some form of torture, not having a way to estimate time. And the anxiety of the day before caused such a fitful sleep, Winter couldn’t be sure if she’d slept only an hour or more than 8. The only thing she was sure of was that Loki was not in the room. Upon inspection, Winter found a letter sitting on his chair, waiting with his nickname for her.

Flower,  
I left some new clothes for you on the other chair. When you are ready, knock on the door and one of my men will escort you to the bathroom. Tell him if you wish to shower- you will have as much time as you need. If you do not shower, you will have 15 minutes. He will ensure you have food and fresh water when you return from the bathroom. I will be back late. Be a good girl.  
Loki

Winter read the note twice. She looked at the other chair and found a simple green and gold sundress with a black shawl and white panties. No bra. She looked at the floor at the foot of the bed where she’d left her clothes from the day before, but they were gone. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she scooped up the clothes and went to the door. She hesitated at the idea of knocking on the door to alert someone she was awake, but she really wanted to use the bathroom. 

Almost immediately after she knocked, a small, timid sound, the door unlatched and opened. A large, burly man with short buzzed blonde hair loomed in the doorway. He has the same glowing blue eyes at the two men who had abducted her on Loki’s command. 

“Boss says you’re to be taken to his bathroom.” The man grabbed Winter’s arm in a vice like grip and pulled her from the room. He unlocked the bathroom door and shoved her, roughly, into the room. “Are you taking a shower?”

“Yes.”

“Knock on the door when you are done.” The man shut the door and Winter heard the lock click into place.

Time seemed to pass slowly. For the sake of her sanity, Winter decided it must be daytime. She must have been with Loki for at least 24 hours by now. Granted, most of that time she’d been asleep, or rather unconscious. Winter took her time in the bathroom. She found shampoo, conditioner and body wash in the metal cabinet next to the wash basin. While she was cleaning herself, she wondered if her boss at the bookstore reported her missing. Surely he would have. The place was open, her jacket, purse and lunch still behind the register counter, but she wasn’t. Winter was pretty sure the men who’d taken her hadn’t even bothered to close the door when they left. Her boss wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but surely he would realize she’d been removed from the store unwillingly. Winter wondered if that meant someone was going to be looking for her. She found comfort in that thought. Maybe her boss had notified the police. And then it dawned on her. The store had security cameras! Winter’s heart nearly soared out of her chest when she remembered her boss setting up the new system a month ago. Not only will her boss know she had been abducted, but the police will have video footage of those responsible. That was hope worth clinging to.

After her shower, Winter was taken back to Loki’s room. The same steroid-junky from earlier brought her food three times during the day, as well as checked to see if she needed to use the bathroom. Winter tried to occupy her mind by reading her book. It was quite a time later that Loki returned. He was in the same mood as he had been the night before, for better or worse. 

Once he’s removed his armor, he approached his chair, where Winter had been sitting. She instinctively stood up and waited for him. Her new found hope that someone would be looking for her had given her the resolve to put up with whatever Loki was going to do to her. Or, at least, most of what he’d do. She could endure it, because sooner or later someone would find her. So she’d made up her mind to play along and try her best to placate him. He didn’t even have to pull her onto his lap, she sat without prompting. A look of smug satisfaction on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Loki awoke next to his Pet. She had been very willing last night, when he finally got back to the room. Not only had she willingly sat in his lap while he read, but she didn’t even flinch when he absently ran his fingers through her hair. And she didn’t fight when he nuzzled against her neck and ear. Though he could tell by her tense reaction, she struggling to remain submissive. She even fell asleep on his lap, which was a great distraction for him. It gave him more time to enjoy her physical presence. 

She’d been so well behaved, Loki decided to reward her. He’d bring her with him, when he left the room. Of course, he wasn’t going to let her just walk around. He’d have to find a way to keep her close. A sign of His ownership of her. Something that would show those working for him she’d submitted to him. Loki smirked.

Loki woke Winter shortly after conjuring a new dress for her. He took her to the bathroom and allowed her to shower, as requested. He brought her back to the room, allowing her to continue her willing act of submission. He shut the door behind them and sat in his chair right away. A tray of food was sitting on the table next to the chair. Taking a deep breath, Winter approached Loki. When he pat his lap, she sat down. She waited for him to present her with food before opening her mouth. Her resolve to survive her situation by almost any means necessary was proving quite enjoyable for him. 

“I have something for you, Flower,” Loki said, once breakfast was done. He guided Winter to stand. He led her towards the bed where she saw a large gold collar resting on the pillows. Winter couldn’t stifle a gasp of recognition when Loki picked it up and held it in front of her. “This is magically bound to me, Flower. Once you put this on, I will always know where you are. You will never be able to run or hide from me. It will serve as a symbol. To anyone who works for me, they will know you are special and not to be bothered. To those I will rule over, they will see both my generosity and cruelty through you.” Winter visibly paled at that statement, causing Loki’s lips to curl into a vicious smile. “By wearing this, it also means I am willing to let you outside of this room, with me.” 

Winter studied Loki’s face for a moment, trying to figure out what he wasn’t telling her. There was clearly more to this collar than he was saying. And he didn’t seem as if he was going to force her to wear it. He was purposely making her believe it was her choice to wear it. Which screamed of a trap. But if it meant she would be allowed out of this room, did she really have a choice? Who is to say, if she didn’t choose to wear it, he wouldn’t force it on her anyway. Taking a breath and closing her eyes, Winter gathered her hair over her shoulder and lowered her head. 

That was exactly what Loki was looking for. He waved his hand over the collar, then pressed the same hand to the exposed back of Winter’s neck. The golden band encircled her delicate neck, resting lightly just above her collarbone, fitting snuggly- but not too tight. Once in place, the front morphed just slightly. Before it was a single, simple gold band, less than an inch wide, with no defining markings. Now it had a crest at the front, dipping lower than the width of the band, ending in a point. The crest held his personal symbol, two intertwining snakes creating an S shape, encrusted in beautiful emeralds and black etched lines. When Loki removed his hand, Winter looked up at him, to find him smiling like the cat who had the cream. 

Winter ran her hands over the smooth, cool surface around her neck. She went around the whole circle twice before fear set in. She looked up at Loki, his eyes twinkling.

“No clasp, I’m afraid. Only I can remove it,” he purred. “And I won’t be doing that any time in the foreseeable future, dearest Flower.” The color visibly drained from Winter’s face. What had she done. Loki smiled triumphantly. He ran his fingers through Winter’s hair. “Now, I must meet with Agent Barton and the Doctor. Would you like to join me, Flower?”

Winter was in shock and couldn’t think. All she could was manage a small nod of her head. Reveling in his triumph, he took Winter by the hand and led her out of the room. He turned left out of the door and led her to the big open area in the middle of the bunker. Half of it was divided off by plastic sheets. As they approached, one man held up a device for a man on the other side of the plastic sheet to see.

“Is this the stuff you need?” the first man asked.

“Yeah, iridium. It’s found in meteorites, it forms anti-protons. It’s very hard to get a hold of,” the other man said.

“Especially if S.H.I.E.L.D. knows you need it.”

“I didn’t even know.” Then both men looked at Loki as he stopped in front of the plastic partition. The man behind the partition smiled. “The Tesseract has shown me so much! It’s more than knowledge, it’s truth!” 

“I know. What did it show you, Agent Barton?” Loki asked, turning his attention to the man dressed all in black, standing at attention next to him. 

Agent Barton looked from Loki to Winter before answering. Loki understood. Agent Barton wasn’t sure if he should talk about the mission in front of her. But Loki gave him an impatient look and prompted Agent Barton to answer his next question. 

“My next target,” Agent Barton said. 

“Very well.” Loki turned back to find Doctor Selvig staring at Winter. “Doctor, Agent Barton, this is my Pet, Winter. She is to be treated as you would me. She is to be supervised at all times. Agent Barton, I want you to assign someone that task. For the time being, she will be with me. Anything you have to say, you can say in front of her. She’s not going anywhere, she has no one to tell our secrets.” Loki ran his fingers through Winter’s red hair in a very possessive manner as he spoke. 

“Hi!” Doctor Selvig waved one of his tools happily at her. 

“You are only to speak to myself, Agent Barton, Doctor Selvig and whomever Agent Barton assigns to be your keeper. Understand, Flower?” Loki asked.

“Yes, sir,” Winter squeaked.

With that, Loki went back to speaking with Agent Barton. Agent Barton offered up information about S.H.I.E.L.D., Director Fury, and discussed a group of people called the Avengers. The only name of the people they spoke of Winter recognized was a man named Tony Stark. But unless one lived under a rock for the last few years, everyone knew who Tony Stark was. Loki decided he wanted to test these people. As well as get out of the bunker. He was starting to feel like a caged cat, and Winter could see it in the tense set of his muscles and how he couldn’t seem to stand still. He and Agent Barton began discussing how they could draw out these people, how Agent Barton could obtain the iridium and how Loki can cause some chaos. While they spoke, Loki left Winter to sit by a wall, still within sight, but not in the way either.

Winter took in her surroundings as she sat. They were clearly in some old bunker or fall out shelter. But there wasn’t much to see. Lots of people in heavy gear with varying weapons were going in and out with obvious purpose. After a while, the same man who had been guarding Loki’s room the day before approached Winter. 

“I’ve been assigned to watch you.” He looked from Winter to where Loki and Agent Barton were talking. They were both oblivious to the man. He smiled. “I’m to take you back to the room.” Before Winter could say anything, the man grabbed her arm and began dragging her back towards Loki’s room. The man didn’t go to Loki’s room, however. Instead, he took Winter to a small storage closet and locked the two of them inside. 

Just before she was taken from sight, Doctor Selvig noticed the man taking Winter away. He knew something wasn’t right about it. He gave his tools to the closest assistant and left the work area. He found Loki and Agent Barton still planning in a nearby corridor.  
“Agent Barton, I thought Franks was under suspicion,” Doctor Selvig said as a way to interrupt them.

“He is, why?” Agent Barton answered. Loki and Agent Barton gave the Doctor their full attention.

“Then why did you assign her to watch Winter?” he asked.

Confusion fogged over Agent Barton’s face, and concern flitted over Loki’s- for only a brief second.

“I haven’t assigned anyone to watch the woman,” Agent Barton said. 

“Then there’s a problem. Franks just grabbed her and walked down that hallway with her.” Doctor Selvig pointed down the other corridor. 

Immediately, Loki and Agent Barton abandoned their planning discussion and went down the opposite corridor. Loki seemed to already know where the man and his Pet were. He bypassed his room and went straight for the closet near the stairs. The two could hear the man, but not Winter. Without hesitation, Loki ripped the door from its hinges and threw it across the hall. Inside he found the man huddled over the limp, unconscious figure of his Pet. Loki grabbed the man by the back of his vest and pulled him out of the closet. Agent Barton stood with his gun trained on the man as he tried to right himself within Loki’s grip. He had deep, red-welted scratch marks on his face and neck, and his nose was bleeding. The man looked as manic and depraved as the men Agent Barton had disposed of two nights ago. Loki was beyond furious. While still holding the man at arms length, he looked into the closet at his Pet. She was slumped forward half on the floor, half on the seat of a filthy chair. Her right arm was pulled awkwardly behind her. Blood was pooling on the seat of the chair from her nose, her lip, a large cut on her cheek and a gash on her forehead. Her dress was torn and bunched up around her waist. She had clearly put up a fight, but was subdued far too quickly. Enraged, Loki snapped the man’s neck and threw the lifeless body against the wall. The impact caused the brick of the wall crack. While Loki was busy with the man, Doctor Selvig entered the closet and began checking Winter. As he pulled her off the chair she let out a quiet whimper of pain and fear. 

“Agent Barton, take care of this! We leave for Stuttgart as soon as the Doctor clears her for travel. Have everything ready,” Loki hissed. He scooped Winter away from the Doctor and walked to his room.


	6. Chapter 6

Winter woke up to find herself lying on Loki’s bed. Her first conscious thought was, OW!, followed by What the hell happened? She tried sitting up, but a hand gently pushed her back to rest against the pillows. She tried to move, but found her right arm bound in a sling.

“Easy, Flower, don’t try to sit just yet,” Loki said. Winter forced her eyes to focus on the handsome face of the raven haired man above her. 

“W-what ha-happened?” Her voice was strained and shaky. Winter brought her free hand up to her throbbing face. She could feel stitches along her left cheek and across the right side of her forehead, below the hairline. Her lip was swollen and her nose was throbbing.

“That man attacked you. He was not assigned to you, as you were led to believe,” Loki explained. “He sprained your elbow and gave you a couple good cuts. Fortunately, he did not have a chance to finish what he had started.” Loki poured a glass of water and took two while pills from the bedside table. “The Doctor told me to make sure you take these. For the pain.” Loki propped Winter up and handed her the pills. She looked at him skeptically.

“What are they?” she asked, quietly.

“I have no idea. Some Midgardian medication to dull pain.” Winter didn’t like the idea of taking unknown pills, even with the promise they would relieve the considerable pain she felt. Seeing the conflict in her face, Loki took the choice away from her. He took her chin between his thumb and fingers and forced her to look at him. “Take the pills, Flower. Consider this your only warning.” His tone was low, calm and completely menacing. Winter’s breath hitched in fear as she accepted the pills. She drank down the water quickly and gave it back to Loki. He set the glass back on the bedside table. “Rest now. We will be leaving in soon.”

Winter laid back against the pillows and watched as Loki got up and left the room. Alone with nothing but her thoughts, Winter started to remember what had happened before she was knocked out. The man had tried to rape her. He probably would have succeeded if she hadn’t fought, and Loki hadn’t come to her rescue. The thought made her shudder, which caused a massive amount of pain to radiate from her arm. Loki had saved her. How strange, she thought. He had saved her from being viciously raped. Winter shook her head. She could feel the pain medication starting to take effect. Her brain felt sluggish and her eyes were getting heavy. But despite everything, when she saw Loki walk back into the room, she found herself drifting to sleep, feeling safe.

Loki was still fuming from the incident. He had never imagined one of his men would have tried such a thing. With his Pet. She was clearly marked as his property. Yet, this man had tried to claim her for his own. Tried to defile her. Killing him was too merciful. Loki regretted his reaction almost immediately upon hearing the extent of the damage done to his Pet.

He watched as his Flower slipped into unconsciousness on his bed. He had originally planned on leaving her with the Doctor, to travel to New York, where they’d get set up with the Tesseract. The plan he and Agent Barton had come up with had Loki setting up his own capture by Director Fury’s team. He didn’t want to risk losing his Pet to them. Now, however, he was less thrilled with the idea of leaving her with anyone but Agent Barton or himself. He would bring Winter with him, tow her around like the beautiful little trophy she was. He could use her to distract the Avenger’s even further. From what Agent Barton told him, the Soldier would react compassionately to a damsel in distress. And the Man of Iron would be drawn to any attractive woman. She may be very useful, now that he thought about it. A deliciously devious smile curled Loki’s lips.

~~~~~~~~

Loki did his best to keep Winter unconscious during their trip. She’d woken once, while they were in the private jet Agent Barton had procured for their travels. Loki didn’t ask many questions, he had learned what Agent Barton was trained for and what he did for his previous employers, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Barton had his ways of finding people, services, information and supplies. Everything but the people seemed to be working out just fine for Loki’s purposes. The people, he’d deal with. When Winter had woken up, they were flying over the Atlantic Ocean and hit a bit of rough turbulence. The jolting plane disturbed her enough she woke with a start. Loki had left her to rest in one of the oversized reclining chairs, while he and Agent Barton’s crew discussed the details of their plan at the back of the jet. Waking up, not knowing where she was and not having a familiar face to look to, Winter started panicking right away. Loki had to use his seidr to render her unconscious, again. 

Agent Barton had secured a small house just outside of Stuttgart for them to finish their preparations. The iridium they were looking to steal was being kept in a vault at a Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Tonight, there was some grand gala being held for the distinguished members and donors of the museum. The plan called for Loki to cause a distraction, while obtaining the Museum director’s eyeball for a security scan. While Loki caused as much chaos as possible- hoping to entice the team Director Fury was putting together to come out and play- Agent Barton and his crew would break into the vault and collect the iridium. Agent Barton was instructed to leave as soon as he had the item and get ready for the second part of Loki’s plan. Loki would take his precious Flower with him, as further bait and distraction for Director Fury’s team. The collar Loki had put on her would keep her from getting too far away from him. And if, by some unforeseen chance, she did manage to get away, or she did find refuge with Director Fury’s team, he’d be able to find her and collect her when he was done with the first battle. Inside the safe house, Agent Barton prepared his crew for the small mission, leaving Loki and Winter to get ready for the gala, themselves. 

Loki woke Winter a little more than an hour before they were to head for the gala. He offered her food and water, which she quickly devoured. He also gave her more medication for the pain. Loki had used his seidr to reduce the swelling in her face, but the cuts and the elbow were still in bad shape. 

“We are going to an event tonight, Flower,” Loki said. He set the food tray outside the bedroom door and returned to the bed to sit next to Winter. “Agent Barton will be going in with a small tactical group to retrieve a special item for Doctor Selvig’s machine. You and I will be creating a distraction. Or rather, I will be causing a distraction and you will do your absolute best to stay by my side. If I have to come looking for you because you’ve decided to run, you will sorely regret it. What that man did to you, will not compare to the punishment you will receive should you decide to run away from me, understand, Flower?” Loki’s voice was a low, menacing growl that made Winter visibly shudder in fear and apprehension. She didn’t trust her voice, so she only nodded. Loki gave her a stern look. “I need to hear you agree, Flower.”

“I-I... I und-derstand,” she stuttered.

Loki smiled wickedly and smoothed his fingers through her hair. “Good girl.”

Loki stood and looked at his reflection in the floor length mirror set behind the door. He made no gesture, but suddenly his armor began to glow in a gold and green haze. When the haze lifted, his clothing had changed into a smart, well tailored suit. Black trousers, black suit jacket, white button down shirt, black tie, black over coat and black shoes. The only bit of color came from the white, gold and green scarf draped over his elegant shoulders. Winter couldn’t help but stare. He was terrifyingly handsome. And completely lethal. When he caught her eyes in the mirror, he smirked.

“Don’t worry, Flower,” he said, turning to face her on the bed. “I have something special for you in mind.”

He gestured for her to leave the bed and stand in front of him. Winter saw the look on his face, one that did not leave room for disobedience. She got off the bed and stood in front of Loki as quickly as she could. He pulled her to stand between himself and the mirror, facing the mirror. Loki put both hands on her delicate shoulders. The same gold and green haze engulfed Winter for a few seconds before dispersing into the nothingness it came from. 

Winter gasped when she saw her new reflection. She was wearing a magnificent formal evening gown. It was black, with a faint shimmer of gold and green. Apparently, this man takes the idea of personal colors pretty seriously, she thought. The bodice was strapless, delicately beaded and had a gentle sweetheart neckline. The gown had a beautiful tulle overlay, crisscrossing from the waist and pooling onto the floor around her feet. When she finally noticed her feet, she found herself wearing a simple pair of emerald satin pumps. The sling for her elbow had even changed. Instead of white canvas and white straps, her arm was wrapped in a heavy black scarf, tied over her shoulder. Flawless makeup and softly tousled red waves cascading down her back completed the look. 

Loki stood behind her with a look of utter satisfaction. “You look ravishing,” he purred against her ear. “I may have overdone it a bit, but I am pleased nonetheless. You are the perfect accessory for my crown.” His smile deepened when he saw the blush rise in her cheeks. “Oh, you blush so prettily.”

Spinning her around, Loki captured Winter’s chin in his fingers and claimed her lips in a hungry kiss. Winter had to hold herself still to keep from pushing him away. Fighting him right now would only provoke his ire, and she was in no fit state to do anything about it. She breathed a sigh of relief when a knock on the door interrupted him.

“Sir, we are ready to move out,” called Agent Barton. 

“Time to go, Flower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is what I sort of envision for Winter's gown. Obviously, with the sequins being more green and gold.
> 
> http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Marchesa-Notte-Strapless-Sequined-Tulle-Overlay-Gown-/prod186540041_cat48730734__/p.prod?icid=&searchType=EndecaDrivenCat&rte=%252Fcategory.service%253FitemId%253Dcat48730734%2526pageSize%253D29%2526Nao%253D29%2526Ns%253DPCS_SORT%2526refinements%253D717%252C4294885028%252C4294890296&eItemId=prod186540041&cmCat=product


	7. Chapter 7

Everything seemed far too surreal to truly be happening. Winter found herself being whisked away in black SUV with Loki and five more agents. The SUV drove into the city and stopped a block from the Museum Plaza. Loki took Winter by the hand and led her towards the plaza while Agent Barton and his team walked around the other way to the back of the plaza. Winter stumbled a few times trying to keep up with Loki’s long stride, but he didn’t pull or make any comment. For whatever reason, he seemed more calm this evening. He brought Winter right up to the main entrance, but didn’t go in right away. First he led her around the open plaza, as if he was trying to memorize the layout. He stopped just in front of the main entrance and looked around one more time before showing a Museum Employee an invitation. The employee barely looked at the paper in Loki’s hand. He just smiled and waved the two in. Loki noticed that the employee was looking Winter up and down in a manner he did not like. Loki wrapped Winter’s hand around his arm and held it possessively as he walked into the museum. Instead of following the crowd and going into the main gallery, Loki turned right and began walking through the rest of the museum. 

Upon entering the first gallery, Loki stopped, startled by what he saw. They had come into the East Asian Gallery and right in front of them was a large exhibit depicting a Chinese ancestor worship ceremony and burial ceremony. Surrounding them on and against the walls were glass cases full of different artifacts and pieces of art from various Chinese time lines. 

“What is all this?” he asked, clearly confused by the different exhibits. 

“Um, I can’t read German, but according to the different artifacts and art, I’m going to say we are in the Chinese exhibit,” Winter said. She started walking towards the depiction in front of them, until Loki pulled her back. She turned to look at him. “I was just going to look at the artifacts to get an idea of what this is.”

Loki nodded and moved with her. She took her time and examined the different pieces within the depiction.

“It looks like some kind of burial ceremony. Maybe an ancestral ritual or something,” Winter explained. Loki had allowed her to let go of his arm so she could crouch down and get a better look. 

“How do you know,” Loki asked, captivated by her change in manner. This was the woman who had enthralled him at the bookstore. She was engulfed in the exhibit. 

“Hmm?” She looked over her shoulder at him. Looking up at him, while he wore such normal clothes, Winter almost forgot who he was. “Oh, um, I am working on getting a History Education degree.” 

“Oh, yes, I remember you mentioning that.” Loki looked around for a moment. “We should start heading to the event, Flower. Agent Barton will be needing that eye soon.” 

Winter shuddered, remember why they were here. She stood up and allowed Loki to wrap his long, slender fingers around her hand. He began walking deeper into the museum, passing numerous display cases and exhibits. He pulled her closely behind him as he took a staircase up to a balcony that overlooked the main gallery hosting the gala. When he stopped, Winter untangled her hand from his, leaned against the railing and caught her breath. When she looked up, she was awe struck by the wall-engulfing mural before her. 

“Wow,” she whispered, stepping towards the wall. 

Loki looked at her, cocking an eyebrow at her exclamation. He started to walked towards her, until he noticed movement below. The man whose eyeball Loki needed was heading to the microphone. It was time to enact his plan. He grabbed Winter’s wrist and began pulling her down the opposite staircase from where they came up. 

“When we get to the bottom of the stairs, Flower, I want you to stay exactly where I leave you. Do not attempt to flee with the rest of the people, understand?” He’d taken on the dangerous tone again. Winter verbally agreed and did her best to follow behind him. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, he let go of her wrist and shot her a warning look. When she nodded, he continued on his path. He flipped his golden walking stick from his left hand to his right, catching it upside down. He moved quickly, and struck a security guard in the head with the heavy top-end of his walking stick. Winter was frozen to her spot at the bottom of the stairs. She watched Loki attack the security guard, then grapple the man at the microphone and swing him on top of a stone table shaped like a bull. He used the walking stick to pin the man down as he pulled a device from his jacket pocket. For some reason, Winter could not recall having seen the walking stick before. Has he had it this whole time? Is it glowing? she wondered. 

As Loki jammed the device down onto the man's face, she saw a frenzied sort of look come over Loki. He seemed to be relishing in the mayhem he had invoked. Terrified, Winter didn’t notice a security guard run at her until he started pulling her from her spot. She was beyond thinking, her body was just reacting to the pandemonium around her. The security guard was collecting people and ushering them out of the museum. Winter had just enough time to look behind her and see Loki give her a scornful look. 

Once the security guard had pushed people out of the building, he let go of Winter. She wasn’t sure what to do. People were still running and attempting to put as much distance between themselves and the lunatic in the museum. But he was moving much quicker, with a sense of purpose. Winter stopped where the guard had left her, on the curb of the street in front of the plaza. Fear gripped at Winter’s heart as she watched Loki’s clothing change from the handsome formal attire back into his ominous black leathers and gold armor. A gold helmet adorned with long, curved horns appeared on his head. The stylish gold walking stick transformed into a long, lethal looking scepter. He stopped just long enough to smile at Winter, before moving on towards the park where people were gathering. 

Winter screamed as arms wrapped around her. She craned her neck and saw Loki. He pinned her to his chest, the scepter resting diagonally over her abdomen. Confused, Winter looked across the street as the first Loki shot a blue bolt from the scepter at an oncoming emergency vehicle. Again, she looked up at the Loki behind her. He smiled cruelly down at her. As he began walking Winter towards the edge of the park, she saw four more clones appear, encircling the crowd. 

“Kneel before me!” the real Loki said. When the chaos continued, he screamed, “I said, KNEEL!” And he stamped his scepter on the ground causing a small shockwave to intimidate the crowd into silence. Everyone knelt down. Except Winter, who was still being held captive by the first clone, standing behind the real Loki. The real Loki began moving through the crowd. “Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

Winter looked on in horror, then she saw an elderly man stand up. “Not to men like you.”

Loki just smiled. “There are no men like me.”

The man just looked sad and disappointed. “There are always men like you.”

Loki lowered his scepter, it began to glow blue. “Look to you elder people. Let him be an example.” 

Several things happened all at once and Winter had a hard time comprehending the events. Loki let loose a blast of blue energy from the scepter aimed at the older gentleman. A man dressed in blue jumped in front of the man from out of nowhere, deflecting the energy blast with a large shield. The blast ricocheted, hitting Loki square in the chest, sending him to the ground. The clones disappeared, including the one holding Winter, who fell ungracefully to the ground, and the people of the crowd began to scatter. 

“You know, the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing,” the man with the shield said. He was dressed in a red, white and blue uniform. 

“The soldier,” Loki said, standing up. People were running now. “A man out of time.” Loki looked around to find Winter on the ground. She was being trampled by the stampeding crowd. He quickly teleported in front of her and pulled her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her abdomen and held her tightly against his chest. 

“I’m not the one who’s out of time,” the soldier said.

“Loki, drop the weapon, release the woman and stand down,” a woman’s voice boomed through the air. Loki and Winter both looked up and saw a large jet hovering above the plaza. 

Loki pushed Winter towards the soldier and shot a blast of blue energy towards the jet. The pilot maneuvered the vehicle out of the way of the blast. The soldier caught Winter and put himself between her and Loki. Loki began attacking with a ferocity Winter had only ever glimpsed before. She did her best to stay out of the way, looking for an opening to either run back to the museum or further into the park, but every time she’d manage to put a fair amount of distance between herself and the fight, to have a chance as fleeing, Loki would suddenly be next to her, pulling or pushing her back into the middle of the plaza. The soldier fought very well, but Loki was clearly stronger and more agile than he.

Out of nowhere, AC/DC’s Shoot To Thrill could be heard throughout the plaza. Winter, who was trying to recover from being thrown to the ground by Loki, looked up just as Iron Man blasted Loki off his feet. Iron Man landed with a loud CLANK and aimed his right hand, and several small weapons at Loki.

“Make your move, Reindeer Games,” Iron Man said. 

Loki righted himself on the steps of the plaza. As he put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, his armor transforms back into his leathers and his helmet disappears. 

“Good move,” Iron Man replied, lowering his weapons. 

The jet landed in the nearby park and a woman with flame red hair came out to stand with the two men. The soldier walked over to where Winter was standing.   
“Are you alright, Miss,” he asked. 

Winter didn’t answer right away. She was staring at Loki, who was preoccupied with Iron Man and the redheaded woman. 

“Miss? He can’t hurt you, now,” the soldier said, gently. “What’s your name? Are you seriously hurt?”

“Not from this,” Winter whispered, turning her attention to the masked man. He smiled sweetly at her. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place how. 

“Captain,” the redheaded woman said. She stood by the soldier and studied Winter before turning her attention to the soldier. “I think this is the woman Loki kidnapped from Arizona. What’s your name, Ma’am?”

“WinterRose McBride.” 

“Yep, it’s her,” the redheaded woman stated.

“Come on, Ma’am, we’ll get you home,” the soldier said. He held out his gloved hand. Winter hesitated for a moment but then accepted the offer. The soldier and redheaded woman led her to their jet. “I’m Steve, by the way.”

“I’m Natasha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am giddy with all the love you wonderful people are showing for my story. Thank you all!


	8. Chapter 8

Steve and Natasha lead Winter to the jet and helped her inside. Iron Man and another man in a black flight suit were standing in front of Loki, who was secured to his seat. 

“Who’s this?” Iron Man asked. 

“The woman he kidnapped from Arizona,” Natasha explained. She and the man in the flight suit went to the cockpit of the jet and got ready to take off. 

Steve and Iron Man lead Winter further into the jet. Both men took off their helmets and smiled genuinely at Winter. Winter did her best to smile back, taking a seat near the cockpit, trying to put as much distance between her and Loki as she could manage. She refused to look over at him, though she could tell he was looking at her. She was just grateful he wasn’t speaking, yet. The whole situation already felt awkward, and she knew he was just biding his time to make it worse. As the jet took off, Winter grabbed at the seat cushion under her and closed her eyes, tight. 

“Are you ok, Ma’am?” Steve asked.

“I just get terrible butterflies during take off,” Winter explained. 

The two men made small talk with Winter as the jet made its way through the night sky. 

“I don’t like it,” Steve finally said, glancing over at Loki, who was purposefully ignoring them. 

“What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?” Tony asked. 

“I don’t remember it being that easy. This guy packs quite a wallop,” Steve said.

“Still, you’re pretty spry, for an older fellow,” Tony quipped. “What’s your thing, pilates?”

Steve looked at Tony in confused exasperation. “What?”

“It’s kind of like calisthenics,” Tony explained. “You might have missed a few things, you know, doing time as a Capsicle.”

“Fury didn’t tell me he was calling you in,” Steve said, suspiciously.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things Fury doesn’t tell you,” Tony said.

Suddenly, lightning streaked across the sky and thunder shook the jet. Winter whimpered and the others looked around with concern.

“Where is this coming from?” Natasha asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Another streak of lightning, followed far too closely by the rumble of thunder. Steve and Tony both noticed Loki looking more bothered than before.

“What’s the matter, scared of a little lightning?” Steve asked.

“I’m not overly fond of what follows,” Loki explained.

Just then, the jet shook violently as something hit, or rather landed on, the top of it. Tony grabbed his face plate and pushed the button to open the hatch. As soon as the hatch was open, a large, burly, blonde man jumped into the jet, landing in front of Loki. For the first time since meeting him, Winter saw Loki look truly startled. The blonde man hit Iron Man with a large hammer, sending him, and Steve, to collide on the floor at Winter’s feet. The blonde man tore the restraints off Loki, grabbed him by the throat and yanked him to his feet. Before Iron Man and Steve could get to their feet, the blonde man was jumping out of the jet, Loki in tow. 

Winter couldn’t believe her eyes. Loki was gone. Taken right out of a flying jet by some guy. She was about to thank the universe, until Iron Man moved to leave the jet as well. 

“Now there’s that guy?” he said, stomping towards the open hatch.

“Think he’s a friendly?” Steve asked.

“Doesn’t matter. If he frees Loki, or kills him, the Tesseract’s lost.”

“Stark, we need a plan of attack!”

“I have a plan, attack.” And with that, Iron Man leapt from the jet, flying off into the night.

“I’d sit this one out, Cap,” Natasha yelled over the wind. 

“I don’t see how I can.” Steve grabbed a parachute pack from the storage shelf and began strapping it on.

“These guys come from legend, they’re basically Gods,” Natasha tried. 

“There’s only one God, ma’am, and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.” Steve grabbed his shield and jumped out of the jet.

“Well,” Natasha sighed. She turned the jet around and began looking for a place to land. 

Once they had landed, in a large clearing in the middle of a forest, Natasha climbed out of her seat to sit next to Winter.

“Did he do that to you?” she asked, pointing to Winter’s arm. 

“No, actually. But one of his... men did. Loki finally let me out of the room he kept me in and while he was talking with some Doctor and an Agent about his plan, the man dragged me into a storage closet and tried to...” Winter couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. The angered and disgusted look on Natasha’s face told her she didn’t have to. “Anyway, Loki and his Agent stopped the guy for doing anything more than smacking me around and dislocating my elbow.”  
“Why? I mean, no offense, but what are you to Loki?” Natasha asked.

Winter looked down at the floor, unconsciously her hand went to touch the collar around her next. “He said I was to be his pet. His entertainment and distraction.” There was bitterness in her voice. 

“Is this his?” Natasha asked, tapping the gold collar. Winter nodded. “Once we get to the helicarrier, maybe Stark or Dr. Banner can figure out how to take it off.”

“I’m more than happy to let them try, but I seriously doubt it. He made it with magic. He said it’s bound to him. So he can always find me,” Winter whispered. 

“Hey,” Natasha said gently. “We have him, now. He won’t touch you again. I promise. You’re safe with us. Okay?”

Winter suddenly remembered that Loki had told her some things before they left for the gala. “No! Wait! Loki had a plan. He was just the distraction. Someone named Barton was also at the museum looking for something. Um... crap, what was it call. I know I heard him and the Doctor talking about it before we left the states. It was something about protons and found in meteorites. Ugh! Why can’t I remember?”

Natasha put a hand on Winter’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Calm down, it’s okay. You’ve been through a lot in the last couple of days. Just try to breath and let your mind adjust. It’ll come back to you. Besides, we can’t do much from here. When we get back to the helicarrier, you can talk to Dr. Banner and Director Fury. Maybe what you can remember will help them, anyway.”

In an effort to keep Winter from getting any more worked up than she already was, Natasha made small talk with her. Until Iron Man and Captain America returned, Loki and the blonde man with them.

Loki was situated back in the same spot as before. Tony and Steve introduced Natasha and Winter to the blonde man, Thor. Thor smiled happily at the two women and offered greetings and apologies for his initial actions. Natasha climbed back into her co-pilots seat and the jet took off, again.


	9. Chapter 9

When the jet landed, Steve, Tony and Thor escorted Loki to a corridor where they turned him over to several heavily armed guards. Natasha walked with Winter, keeping a fair distance between themselves and Loki. 

“Come on, I’ll take you to the bridge. Director Fury is going to talk to Loki, we can watch from the bridge with the others,” Natasha said. 

Winter and Natasha arrived just as Director Fury, a large dark man wearing a lot of black with an eye patch, was showing Loki what the cell he’d been placed in could do. Steve was already sitting at a large table watching a monitor set into the table. Thor and another man, dark wavy hair and a slight worried expression on his face, were standing around the table to watch the same monitor. 

“It’s an impressive cage.” Winter heard Loki say. “Not built, I think, for me.” She hated how confident he sounded. 

“Built for something a lot stronger than you,” Director Fury said. 

“Oh, I’ve heard,” Loki turned towards the camera in his cell, as if to speak directly to those watching. “A mindless beast, makes play to be a man.”

Winter noticed Natasha look over at the dark haired man. He just glanced back. 

“How desperate are you, to call on such lost creatures to defend you,” Loki continued.

“How desperate am I?” Director Fury started. “You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace, and you kill cause it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.”

The look on Loki’s face, as he relished in the contempt the other man showed, was that of pure satisfaction. He’d found all the right buttons to push, and did so with joy. “Ooo, it burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share?” He had turned back to the camera, as if that statement was for someone specific. “Only to be reminded what real power is.”

Director Fury knew he was done. He didn’t need anything more. And he wasn’t about to give Loki further satisfaction of goading him further. He turned and walked out of the detention area. “Let me know if Real Power needs a magazine or something,” he called as he left.

The monitors flashed off. Everyone sat, or stood, in silence for a brief moment, trying to comprehend what they’d witnessed. 

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” The dark haired man quipped. Winter wasn’t sure if he was referring to Loki or Director Fury. When he noticed Winter looking at him, he smiled shyly and introduced himself as Dr. Bruce Banner. Winter returned the introduction.

Dr. Banner, Steve and Thor began discussing their next step and Loki’s possible motives. Natasha wasn’t overly interested in the conversation until Dr. Banner insulted Loki’s sanity and Thor told him to watch what he said. Natasha told Thor how many people Loki had killed in so many days, leaving Thor to feel somewhat dismayed.

“He’s adopted,” he said quietly.

Winter decided she didn’t need to stick around for this. She had nothing to offer and she was desperate to find something different to wear. She quietly asked Natasha if there was someplace she could get cleaned up. Natasha nodded and motioned for one of the men at one of the computers to come over.

“This is Agent Lawrence,” Natasha said. “Agent, this is Winter. Can you show her to a room where she can get cleaned up. And see about getting her some clothes, please.” Natasha looked at Winter, who was a bit hesitant to go with the new Agent. “I promise you are safe here. He’s just going to take you to a spare room. When you’re ready, anyone can show you to the labs. I’ve already told Stark about helping.”

Winter nodded and followed the Agent off the bridge. 

“Poor girl,” Steve said, his stare lingering on where she had been seated. 

“What’s wrong with her?” Thor asked.

“Loki kidnapped her a few days ago and has been holding her captive in some room in a bunker somewhere,” Natasha explained. 

“Why?” Dr. Banner asked. “I mean, no offense, but who is she to him?”

“No one, really. According to her, he just found her in a bookstore and ‘decided to keep her as a pet.’”

Thor thought for a moment. “That sounds like Loki. When we were younger, he often kept a maiden, but never really had her as a servant. More like a companion, just company. He was never cruel to them. But he never kept them around very long, either. Was he the one to harm her?”

“No, actually. He stopped the guy from doing worse,” Natasha explained.

Before they could continue, Tony and Agent Coulson entered.

 

~~~~~~~

 

Winter had been taken to a small room with a twin size bed, a table and a small bathroom. On the table was a set of clothes. Winter took the clothes with her into the bathroom. It was small, but clean. The clothes, she found out, were from Tony Stark. A black Metallica t-shirt (just a smidgen too big) and a pair of acid-wash blue jeans (perfect fit), no shoes, but she didn’t mind being barefoot. Once she was done in the bathroom and had changed into the new attire, she left the room, looking for someone to point her in the direction of Mr. Stark.

“Ah! You got the clothes! They look good on you,” Tony said.

“Yes, thank you. I wasn’t keen on staying in that dress much longer.” Winter smiled. 

“Hello again, Miss McBride,” Dr. Banner said.

“Please, call me Winter.” 

He just nodded. 

“So, Romanov says you’ve got a bit of a problem with some jewelry. Come on over here and we can try to get that tacky thing off,” Tony said, waving Winter over to a work bench.

Winter sat on an offered stool. She gathered her hair and pulled it over her shoulder, allowing Tony a better look at the back of the collar.

“There’s no clasp or fastener,” Tony mumbled, running his fingers along the smooth surface.

“That’s why I need help getting if off,” Winter retorted. Tony just smiled amusedly at her. 

Tony and Bruce tried all manner of tools trying to break the metal so they could remove the collar. But nothing worked. Tony placed a single Steel Mesh Glove between the collar and Winter’s neck and attempted to use a small hand held hacksaw, a diamond blade and a plasma cutter he had tinkered with to make it more delicate and precise. But the metal didn’t even scratch. 

“Wow. That’s some kind of metal. It looks like gold, but it sure doesn’t act like gold. It’s impressive. Nothing can scratch it,” Tony said, more to himself than to Winter. Bruce watched, making suggestions when they occurred to him. But the two were at a loss. “If this weren’t wrapped around your throat, I’d try using the repulsor in my suit, but... I just don’t want to chance it. Sorry kiddo.”

Winter sighed. “It’s ok. I understand. He said it was magically bound to him. He used his magic to create it.”

“Maybe Thor could help,” Bruce suggested.

“Good call, we can have Goldilocks take a look,” Tony said, walking over to the communications panel on the wall. He called up to the bridge and asked Director Fury to send Thor to the labs.

Tony and Bruce started working on their other projects, but continued to talk with Winter. 

“You requested my help?” Thor’s voice boomed as he entered the lab.

“Hey, Goldilocks,” Tony greeted. “This is Winter.”

“Lady Winter, how may I be of service?”

“Can you get this off? Loki put it on, and I can’t get it off.” She pointed to the collar around her neck. 

Thor studied the golden circle. He ran his finger over the crest at the front. “There is powerful magic in this collar. If our Mother were here, she’d be able to undo this magic. But I’m afraid, at present, only Loki can remove this collar.” Thor looked down at Winter apologetically.

“And he’s not likely to do so,” Winter said with a sigh.

Thor excused himself from the lab, saying something about finding the Son of Coul. Winter excused herself as well, being exhausted and wishing to get a bit of sleep. Tony and Bruce wished her sweet dreams and promised to come up with something that would remove Loki’s collar. 

Tracing her fingers absently over the gold collar, Winter walked aimlessly. She had meant to go back to the room the Agent had taken her to earlier, but she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going. 

“Mr. Stark couldn’t remove Loki’s collar, huh?” Asked a familiar voice. Winter looked up from her dazed stare into the ground to find Steve standing at the end of the hallway. He was staring at her, his eyes full of concern. 

“No,” she confirmed. “We even asked Thor for help. But he didn’t know what to do either.” 

Steve started walking down the hallway towards Winter. He didn’t exactly know why he wanted to, but he found himself wanting to hug the young woman. To cheer her up, to soothe her sorrows. When he was finally standing in front of her, standing so much taller than her, he didn’t think, he just acted. Not necessarily unusual for him, but with a woman, he wasn’t sure what made him do it. He wrapped his muscular arms around her shoulders and waist, pulling her into his body. At first, Winter was startled by the sudden intimate embrace, but his warmth and strength had her melting into him before she realized it. 

“I’m sorry you were dragged into this. But I promise I won’t let Loki hurt you anymore,” he whispered against her hair. When he pulled away from her and looked down at her tear filled emerald eyes, he had to fight the urge to kiss her. Instead, he cupped her cheek, gently. “Can I help you get back to your room. I’m sure you must be exhausted.”

Blinking back the tears, Winter found herself nuzzling into his hand. “Is there some place I could get some food first?” She asked with a sniff.

Steve smiled. “I’ll show you to the mess hall.” He took her good hand in his and led her away from the labs.


	10. Chapter 10

Steve and Winter had breakfast together in the mess hall. He asked her about school, her family and what she wanted to do when she finally graduated from college. Winter was happy to answer his questions. And asked him plenty in return. As a student of history, growing up in the USA, she had naturally studied about Captain America. And while she talked with him, she realized he was everything her textbooks had said, and more. For the first time in a week, Winter felt like herself. She felt safe, being around Steve. 

After they had both finished their meal, he walked her back to her room and wished her sweet dreams. Looking down into her soft, warm eyes, Steve decided he had to at least try. Without hesitation, he bent down and claimed her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. Winter’s first instinct was to shy away. But something about his kiss made her relax, returning it in kind. Before pulling away, he gave her a tiny peck on the corner of her mouth. He smiled at her, her eyes still closed as she bit her bottom lip and a pink hue splashed against her cheeks. When she finally looked back up at him, she was mesmerized by his kind eyes. It had been a very long week, and she hadn’t seen such kindness during that time. She wanted to stay with him. But he insisted she get some sleep.

“I’ll come find you when you wake up,” he whispered. She could only nod. He pulled her into another warm hug, smoothing her hair down her back. Before he let her slip into the room he kissed her forehead. Her smile made his heart quicken, in a good way.

~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t too much later when an explosion of fire and metal tore through the helicarrier, sending Winter tumbling to the ground from the bed. Before she could get off the floor, her door was opened and Agent Coulson was looking down at her. He bent down and helped her to her feet. 

“Are you okay?” He asked. 

She had fallen on her left side, right on top of her bad arm. She was clearly wincing in pain as he pulled her to her feet. “No, I fell. What happened?”

“We’re under attack. I need to get you somewhere safe,” he said, the urgency in his voice unmistakable. Winter just nodded. This had to be part of Loki’s plan. His people were here for him. So she needed to avoid being anywhere near him. She followed Agent Coulson towards the bridge, but he stopped mid stride at the sound of more metal being torn apart. Through the sound of metal groaning and creaking was the horrifying sound of a monster’s roar. Agent Coulson turned around, seeing Winter go even paler than she had been before. 

“We need to get out of this corridor immediately.” He grabbed Winter’s right arm and ran down the first hallway they came to. Again, he stopped suddenly, letting go of Winter and putting a hand to his ear, as if to hear something better. “I don’t have time to take you to the bridge. I’m sorry. I have to secure the detention level.” Winter gasped. 

“Can you tell me how to get there?” Agent Coulson gave her very specific directions. She wrapped her good arm around him, thanked him and ran off down the path he instructed. 

Unfortunately, the directions Agent Coulson had given Winter were no longer useful, as part of the corridor had been completely demolished in the initial attack. People were running in every direction and Winter found herself getting turned around very quickly. Finally, she managed to get an Agent’s attention and ask for assistance. The Agent was clearly trying to get somewhere, but after seeing the pleading in Winter’s big green eyes, he couldn’t refuse. He told her to stay close and keep her head down. “I have to make a quick stop, but I will get you to safety.”

Winter followed the man as he deftly navigated the chaotic corridors. She did her best to pay attention to where they were going, realizing they were getting closer to the labs. At first she thought they were going to check on Tony and Bruce, but when the Agent kept going, passing the labs, she realized she’d never been in this area.

It was when she heard Thor roar Loki’s name that she realized where the Agent had led her. She was just outside the detention area where Loki was being held. The Agent ran into the room, never giving Winter another thought. Winter turned on her heel to find Agent Coulson standing behind her, with a very big weapon. 

“Winter, how did you get here?” He whispered. 

“An Agent said he’d bring me to the bridge.”

“Loki’s men are dressed in SHIELD gear,” he murmured. “You shouldn’t be here, Loki will find you. Go find someplace to hide, I’ll come for you when this is all over.” Winter nodded and ran off towards the labs. 

Winter ran down the corridor until she came to a large open area. A cargo bay that had been thoroughly destroyed. Crates and mechanical parts were strewn about the area. Winter realized she was alone in this area, making it the perfect place to hide. She wedged herself under and into a partially broken wooden crate, sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest and burying her face in her knees. 

This day can’t get any worse, she thought. 

It had only been a few minutes, when she heard heavy footsteps coming into the desolate cargo bay. 

“We need to leave, Sir,” said a man. 

“I’m not leaving without my Pet.” Winter’s breath caught in her throat at the sound of Loki’s smooth but sinister voice. “I know she’s in here. Find her!” She heard several boots walking around the area with purpose. 

Panic grew in Winter’s chest, causing her breathing to become ragged and restricted. She realized the collar around her neck brought Loki to this room. But didn’t give him an exact location, just a general area. If her brain had been working properly, she would have filed that bit of information away to use later. As it was, the only thing she could think to do was try very hard to keep her breathing slow and quiet. She could hear metal debris and wooden crates being thrown about the room. The sounds were getting closer and she could see heavy, military grade black boots steadily making their way closer to where she was hiding. She didn’t know what to do. She could only hope that someone would come to her rescue. Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Thor or Agent Coulson, someone. She silently begged for someone to come charging into the cargo bay and distract Loki and his men so she could try to get away.

But no one did, and the boots came into full view, standing right beside the crate she hid under. To her relief, and shock, the boots suddenly walked away. Perhaps someone had heard her silent prayer. Maybe Loki wouldn’t find her, now. Winter’s relief was short lived as her crate was lifted away. A terrified gasp exploded from her lips as Loki pulled her from her hiding place. He grabbed her good arm and hauled her to her feet. 

“There you are, Flower,” Loki said, a terrifying smirk curling his thin lips. His grip on her arm grew tighter. “We must be leaving, now. I dare say we’ve worn out our welcome.” 

Loki waved his scepter towards the hangar bay, and the four men who had been searching for Winter with him moved to secure the hallway for him. He pulled Winter behind him as he made his way quickly to a ladder at the far end of the bay. Three of the men climbed the ladder first. Loki shoved Winter roughly towards the first few rungs.

“Climb, Flower,” Loki commanded. Winter took a breath and started up the ladder, slowly. Her left arm was still in a sling, which made climbing up the rungs a bit difficult. Once she was half way up, Loki followed behind. Slowly emerging into another hangar bay, one of Loki’s men grabbed Winter and helped her up the rest of the ladder. Winter saw one of the Quinjet’s with more of Loki’s men getting it ready for take off. The three men left Winter standing at the top of the ladder while they grabbed a crate and hauled it into the back of the jet.

Unguarded, and while Loki was preoccupied with his climb up the ladder, Winter saw her opportunity to run. She dashed as fast as she could towards the door just behind where they’d come up. One man, who had been standing idly by waiting for Loki grabbed at her, as she sprinted past him. But she was far too in the moment, kicking out at his leg as she went past. She knew she landed the kick on his slightly bent knee, but didn’t stop to register what damage she may have caused. Winter was a few feet away from the door when something invisible grabbed her leg, tripping her and sending her crashing to the ground. 

Breathless, Winter struggled to get to her feet as she heard heavy-booted feet approach her. 

“Where do you think you’re going, Flower?” Loki snarled. He bent down and tangled Winter’s hair in his fist. “Oh Flower, I don’t have time for your disobedience. Get up!” Yanking on her hair, Loki dragged her to her feet. He let go of her hair, but the back of her neck roughly. “Get in the jet, NOW!” Winter tried with every fiber in her not to cry out as he half shoved, half dragged her by the scruff of her neck towards the jet. As Loki sat down, pulling Winter to sit on his lap, the jet took off.

“That was very foolish, Flower,” Loki growled into her ear. His arms circled around Winter’s waist, gripping her hips hard and pressing the tip of his scepter against the soft spot under her chin. “When this day is over you will be punished for your poor decisions.” Loki smirked menacing as he watched Winter’s eyes grow wide in fear.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delayed update. I have been working with a lot of personal concerns, which have unfortunately created a bit of writers block. Hopefully, I have found my way back and will find a happy balance between real life and hobbies. I hope you are still willing to continue this story with me. This chapter isn't great, but it was necessary.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The jet flew for nearly an hour before landing on a platform of a high-rise building in Manhattan, New York. Loki had kept Winter on his lap the whole flight, but ignored her for the most part. He asked one of the men onboard what had happened to Agent Barton and was told the Agent had been compromised. Frustrated at losing a good soldier, Loki barked orders to the remaining men. When they landed, Loki and Winter were the only ones to exit the jet. Loki walked into the penthouse of the high-rise as if he owned the building and threw Winter roughly onto one of the overstuffed chairs sitting in the sunken great room. 

“Do not move from that spot, Flower. You will not like the consequences of further rebellion,” he growled. “I will be right back.” And before her eyes, Loki was gone. 

Winter’s chest was tight with panic. She had been so close to being free of Loki, only to be reminded that he’d set the whole thing up. She had not been free from him. With a sob of anger and fear, Winter adjusted herself to sit more comfortably on the chair, bringing her legs to curl under her and resting her head against the soft arm.  
In a shimmer of green and gold, Loki reappeared in the penthouse, making Winter gasp in surprise. He looked at her, amusement and satisfaction flitting across his face as he stalked towards Winter like a hungry predator. 

“Stand up, Flower,” Loki ordered. “We have to get you ready to receive our guest.”

Winter looked up at Loki in confusion as she stood in front of him. Loki just smiled wickedly at her, his hand snaking its way to the back of her neck and grabbing the collar. 

He waved his hand and green energy surged throughout the great room. The chairs and coffee table disappeared and were replaced by a large, intricately detailed golden throne with a green cushion on the seat, a green and black cushion on the floor to the right of the throne and a plush black rug reaching out under the throne. Loki walked Winter to the impressive display. 

“Kneel on the cushion,” he ordered. Hesitantly, Winter did as she was instructed. Once she was settled on her knees on the cushion at the foot of the throne, Loki bent down and waved his hand over her body. Suddenly, Winter was engulfed in a misty green fog. A cold sensation ran rapidly along the surface of her skin, and then, just as fast as it started, it was over. A devious smile curled his lips when Winter looked down at herself when the green fog lifted. He had magically changed her. Instead of the t-shirt and jeans Tony had given her, Winter was now wearing a feather-light dress made of shimmering green and gold silks. The silk was draped from the shoulders, crossing her breasts and wrapped around the bottom of her ribs. The material gathered at the small of her back and twisted low around her hips, where the silk hugged her hips before flaring out at her upper thighs and resting lightly at mid thigh. Her abdomen was exposed in a triangle around her naval. Golden cuffs with detailed filigree sculptings and beautiful emeralds encircled each wrist. Her long red hair cascaded down her back, mostly left loose with a few braids to keep it from falling in her face. And attached to the golden collar around her neck was a heavy chain. Startled, Winter ran her hand over the chain, finding it to be tethered to the throne. In horror, Winter looked at Loki, who was still bent next to her, wearing his signature smirk. 

“Perfect,” he purred. He ran his fingers lightly over her cheek, down her neck and over her collarbone, sending a shiver to run through Winter’s body. A reaction that had Loki’s eyes darken with desire. “Oh, sweet Flower, by the end of this day, I shall enjoy finally claiming you, completely, as mine.” His hand traveled back up her neck and tangled in her hair at the base of her skull. He roughly pulled her closer so he could envelop her soft, trembling lips with his own. His lips were hungry and rough. Just before pulling away he sucked Winter’s bottom lip between his teeth and bit down sharply causing her to whimper in response.

“If the Man of Iron is as clever as I’ve been told, he should be here soon,” Loki murmured against Winter’s lips. “If you wish to redeem yourself, and save yourself from punishment for your earlier infractions, you will remain silent and still and do exactly as I tell you. Is that understood?” His blue eyes bore into Winter.

“Yes,” she whispered, casting her eyes down.

Loki trailed the back of his knuckles along Winter’s jawline, almost affectionately. “Good girl.” He kissed her forehead before straightening and walking out to the balcony.

When she was sure he was no longer paying any attention to her, Winter grabbed the chain and ran her fingers along its length. It was connected to the chair just under the seat where it met the arm and leg. But there was point at which the chain was clipped. It seemed, rather, that the chain just melded into the bottom of the throne. When she traced her fingers up to the collar, she noticed it too merely combined into the collar rather than clipping into a ring. As she contemplated how she was truly stuck, she heard something outside that sounded like a jet engine. She looked out to the balcony and saw Loki standing, looking at something in the sky. A moment later, Winter saw Iron Man land on the platform. Several robotic arms emerged from the platform and began removing the Iron Man armor from Tony Stark. Loki and Stark walked inside on opposite sides of the great room. 

“Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity,” Loki said snidely.

“Uh, actually, I’m planning on threatening,” Stark said as he walked down the stairs into the great room proper. He looked around at the changes Loki had made and saw Winter sitting, chained to a great throne. 

“You should have left your armor on for that,” Loki said. He noticed Stark looking at Winter and went to stand next to her. 

“Yeah,” Stark smiled, finally arriving at the bottom of the stairs and walking to the back of a wet bar. “It’s seen a bit of mileage. And you’ve got the, uh, Glowstick of Destiny. Would you like a drink?” He poured a small amount of whiskey into a tumbler, then held the decanter up for Loki. 

“Stalling me won’t change anything.” Loki ran his fingers possessively through Winter’s loose locks. 

“No, no, no. Threatening. No drink? You sure? I’m having one,” Stark said, taking a sip from his tumbler.

Loki walked over to the windows. “The Chitauri are coming. Nothing will change that, what have I to fear?” He looked back at Tony, who was looking at Winter. Tony snapped his eyes back towards Loki.

“The Avenger’s,” he replied. Loki looked confused. “That’s what we call ourselves. Sort of like a team, Earth’s mightiest heroes type of thing.”

Loki smirked when he realized who Tony was talking about. “Yes, I’ve met them.” Smugness radiating off him, Loki took a few steps around the great room. 

“Yeah, takes us a little while to gain any traction, I’ll give you that one. But let’s do a head count here. Your brother, a demi-god.” Loki sneered and walked back over to stand next to Winter. As Loki was moving, Winter noticed Tony playing with something behind the bar. “A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger management issues. A couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, managed to piss off every single one of them.”

Loki smiled again. “That was the plan.”

“Not a great plan,” Tony chided. “When they come, and they will, they’ll come for you.”

Loki took a few steps towards Tony, who was walking out from behind the bar. “I have an army.”

“We have a Hulk,” Tony countered.

“I thought the beast had wandered off.”

“You’re missing the point,” Tony continued. “There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you. Because if we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we’ll avenge it.”

By the time Tony was done with his little speech, he and Loki were standing toe to toe, glaring at each other.

“How will your friends have time for me, when they are so busy fighting you?” Loki brought his scepter up and tapped the tip against Tony’s chest. A small CLINK sound was heard and the energy of the scepter dissipated. Frowning, Loki tried again. And again, nothing happened. “This usually works.”

“Well, performance issues, it’s not uncommon. One out of five...” 

Loki grabbed Tony by the throat and pulled him closer. “You will all fall before me!” Loki snarled.

“JARVIS, deploy!” Tony called. Winter looked around, expecting to see someone coming from one of the many side halls or rooms. Instead, she saw a secret door start to slide open. Loki hefted Tony off the ground. “Deploy!” he yelled again, just before Loki threw him through the window and out of the tower. 

Reacting on impulse, Winter screamed and tried to jump to her feet, but was quickly reminded she was shackled to the chair next to her. Loki turned to look at Winter. The secret door was fully open, catching Loki’s attention. A red and gold contraption shot out of the hidden room and rocketed out the window after Tony, knocking Loki down on it’s way. Winter had a hand over her mouth as she watched Loki climb back up to his feet. 

“And there’s one more guy you pissed off,” Iron Man said as he hovered in front of Loki and the broken window. “His name was Phil.” As Loki brought his scepter up, Iron Man shot one of his repulsor rays at him, sending Loki flying further into the room. Iron Man immediately flew into the room. He grabbed the chain between Winter and the chair and broke it. Without a word he grabbed her and flew them out of the tower. Winter was too scared of what was happening to think of any possible repercussions of her escape. But just as Iron Man and Winter were out of the tower, something above them made a terrible sound. Looking up, Iron Man saw a beam of blue light rip a hole in the sky, dozens of creatures pouring from in. “Right, army.” 

Iron Man looked at the panicking woman in his arms. “I’m going to set you down on the street,” he told her. She just nodded. “Find somewhere to hide and stay there until I come for you, got it?” Again, she just nodded.

~~~~~~~

Winter had managed to find a place in an alley to hide. A small side door to a restaurant had just enough of an opening for her to sit. After arranging an empty dumpster in front of the alcove, she pulled her knees to her chest and sat, waiting for the sounds of battle to stop. Instead she heard a child screaming for his mommy. Unable to ignore the plea, Winter shoved the dumpster to the side and ran into the street. The creatures from the hole in the sky were everywhere; climbing on the sides of buildings, smashing their way through windows and doors, flying between buildings on things Winter could only compare to chariots. She found the source of the terrified yelling and ran towards the small child. He couldn’t be more than six years old. 

“Hi! I’m Winter,” she said, gently. She bent down in front of him, trying to ignore the chaos going on around them. “Did you lose sight of your mommy?”

The boy just nodded, then screamed as debris rained down beside them. Winter scooped up the boy and ran towards the restaurant on the opposite side of the street. Someone opened the door from the inside and someone else grabbed the boy out of Winter’s arms. She watched as a woman began kissing and hugging the little boy. Winter stood by the door, looking out when she saw Loki flying by on one of the creatures chariots. A sudden fear hit her. The collar would bring him right to her. If she stayed here, with these people, they would get hurt. She had to find a place to hide, alone. Despite the protests of the others in the restaurant, Winter threw the door open and ran back towards her alley. Just as she reached the opening to the alley, an explosion in the building above her sent pieces of the building assaulted the street. The street shook violently as debris slammed into it. Winter couldn’t react fast enough. Concrete and glass rained down. The last thing Winter saw before she blacked out was a horde of gnarled-looking, metal clad aliens making their way down the street.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beings, I am so so sorry this has taken so long to update. Besides writers block, I've been struggling with some personal concerns and it's just taking a toll. This chapter isn't great, but I felt it was necessary to set up Loki's reign. And now that I'm over this narrative hump, I know where I want to go from here to hopefully the block has ended. Thank you all for your support and continuation of reading this!

Chapter 12

Noise. There was so much noise. Screaming, pleading, accusations and insults. The sound of metal and concrete and wheels screeching and things moving. Chaotic and loud. She wanted to see what was going on, but she couldn’t open her eyes. There was no strength left in her. Just pain. Devastating pain. And confusion. Beyond the pain, Winter could barely tell she was moving. Not of her own accord, someone or some thing, was carrying her. The more she became aware and the blackness slipped from her consciousness, the more she wished it would engulf her again. Her wrists were tied together, not that it mattered, she was pretty sure the intense, sharp pain in several places of both arms meant there were broken bones somewhere. Same with her left leg. Continuing with her inventory, she could feel lots of stinging cuts and gashes along her torso, arms, back and legs. And possible her head. She could feel something sticky and warm coating most of her body, probably blood. And she was dizzy. It was all she could to to distract herself from being sick. But the beast, whose shoulder poked harshly into Winter’s abdomen didn’t care. It continued its rough canter and bruising grip. Winter silently begged the pain to render her unconscious again. Where was the beast taking her? She wondered, idly, hanging limply over it’s back. 

After what felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, the creature dropped Winter, negligently onto hard, stone flooring. When her back and head collided with the stone, she shrieked in pain. Immediately, she heard faintly familiar voices yelling expressions of concern, and soft, human hands were deftly moving over her body. 

“Winter? Winter, can you hear me?” a familiar male voice asked. Winter tried to open her eyes, to say something, but couldn’t remember how. 

“Tony, she’s really injured. She needs a doctor, now,” another male voice said. The hands were grabbing her arms and untying the rope around her wrists.

“Winter, just stay with us, we’ll get you help,” she heard Tony say. But things were getting fuzzy again. The bright spot behind her eyelids was darkening. And sounds were disappearing. She heard her name one last time.

~~~~~~~~~~

“How is she?” 

That voice, she remembered it. It had plagued her nightmares. His voice.   
Something was beeping in the distance. Paper was being shuffled and someone was pacing a short length. 

“She will survive. We have treated the broken bones, the wounds and the infections, but it will take time for her to heal completely, my Lord,” someone said. “She was nearly crushed under the debris. That much trauma takes a toll on the body, Sire.”

The beeping started sounding faster and more erratic. Winter was panicking. How badly had she been injured? Why couldn’t she feel anything? Where was she?

A hand touched her bruised cheek, soft and tender in it’s caress. “My Flower,” Loki whispered in her ear. The beeping continued to grow faster. “You must calm yourself. The healer said you are quite unwell. You’ve sustained terrible injury during the battle.” Winter felt the tickle of a tear running down her cheek before Loki wiped it away. “I’ll be gone for a time. I leave you in the very capable hands of the healers. I have also permitted a friend of yours to visit you while you are hear. You are to do nothing other than what the healers tell you. If you are well enough before my return to be moved from these rooms, your guards have been instructed to take you to our chambers. Everything will be provided for you. Just rest and heal. I have big plans for you upon my return, after I win this war.” Winter felt his cold lips kiss her forehead softly before he left her side completely.

“She is to be made as comfortable as possible,” Loki explained to someone.

“Yes, my King,” a deep voice said. 

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed around the room. Winter could only imagine Loki was leaving. From the sound of it, he was being followed, presumably by his guards.

Winter could hear someone still shuffling around the area near where she laid. She barely felt a tug on something connected to her right arm. The beeping was calming again. Slow and steady. A rhythmic sound lulling her back to the black of unconsciousness. 

~~~~~~~~~

Winter was aware of three things as she came out of unconsciousness. First, was the smell of harsh cleaners. Second, there was a harsh light coming from her left side. Third, someone else was in the room. She rolled her head to the side, a sharp, pained moan escaping her very dry lips. Trying to move her hand, she felt a heavy weight keeping both her arms in place. Another, more panicked moan raised from her throat. Suddenly, she was all too aware of the other presence in the room as a calloused hand gently touched her fingertips.

“Hey, snowflake,” a man’s voice said quietly. “It’s okay. You’re alright.”

Winter recognized the voice. She tried with desperation to open her eyes. When her eyelids finally peeled apart, she was met with a blurry vision of a figure wearing dark clothes. Blinking, she tried to focus on the man next to her. As her vision cleared, the man remained still, gently tracing her fingers with his thumb as he left his fingers under hers. 

“M-Mis...” her throat felt like sandpaper and her tongue was heavy. Again she tried to bring her hands up to rub her face, but they felt heavy and restricted. Looking down, Winter found both arms wrapped in heavy bandages from palm to elbow. She looked back up at the man standing next to her in confusion.

“It’s okay, Winter,” he said. “You were hurt very badly during the invasion. Part of a building fell on you. You were nearly crushed under cement and glass. The Chitauri found you and brought you here, to him.”

“M-mister S-stark,” Winter tried again. She had to stop to breath. “W-where... am... I?”

“He took over my tower,” Tony said with an appalled expression. “Apparently, while Selvig was working on the portal on the roof, he had others working throughout the bottom floors of the tower making it his own fortress. Complete with prison cells, an infirmary, military barracks, training rooms, an armory and a full blown throne room. The upper levels are being used as private quarters, meeting rooms and one full floor devoted as a war room.” Tony took a breath to regain his composure. “You are in Loki’s private hospital rooms.”

“W-what ha-happened?” 

“We lost, obviously. There were so many of them. And then SHIELD tried to nuke the whole city to stop the invasion from getting worse.” Tony saw Winter’s swollen eyes go as wide as they coul. He put his hands up. “But, I managed to keep it from going off over the city. Unfortunately, it caused massive chaos and confusion, which halted every effort on our part to continue fighting and gave Loki and his army the upper hand. It was terrible. Cap, Barton and I were taken prisoner. No one knows where Romanoff, Banner or Thor are, but we know they aren’t dead. The helicarrier was destroyed, blown right out of the air. No survivors.”

“How l-long?” 

“You’ve been unconscious nearly two weeks. Loki’s army grew even bigger as soon as he announced himself to the world. He used his scepter on Steve and Barton, apparently my arc reactor negates its effects, so he’s using other means to keep me here. A terrorist organization called Hydra crawled its way out of the rubble of SHIELD and is now working with Loki. They’re supplying him with some major weapons and soldiers, along with two more organizations called AIM and the Hand. All pledged loyalty to Loki for power and the spoils of war. Loki took the US, Canada and Central America in a matter of days. He’s in Europe with his armies now. And it’s not looking good.”  
Winter felt tears prickling her dry eyes. Things has escalated to bad so fast. What was happening beyond the walls of the tower. She looks at Tony and he gives her a sad smile.

“I am not privy to what is going on out there since the takeover. But I have heard the servants talking. Apparently, Loki has created encampments for those put out by the destruction of the invasion. He’s taken a lot of people to work in the tower and even more have been made to serve in his army. The whole of the continent is pretty messed up, but he made a statement before leaving that once he was fully in control with no opposition he’d work on getting things back in order.” It was clear by the tone of his voice Tony was less than enthusiastic about Loki’s idea of order. 

“What... a-are... y-you...” 

“Loki is having me work on my Iron Man suits for his soldiers. Along with integrating technologies he brought with him from where ever he came from into the tower. He also wants that tech incorporated into his militaries use. Loki has Pepper, hidden away somewhere. He says I can see her again once he returns. He claims she will be unharmed as long as I work for him. With Rogers and Barton under his mind-control, SHIELD destroyed and the others MIA, I don’t have another option.”

Winter sat quietly, taking in everything Tony had explained to her and trying her best to come to terms with everything. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she looked up at the dark haired mechanic. “W-what’s going t-to happen t-to me?” she asked.

Tony frowned. “I don’t know. But he went through a lot of trouble to find you after the smoke cleared. And he spent two days with the doctors as they worked on fixing you up. At one point Rogers brought me up here so Loki could tell me about having Pepper, just so he didn’t have to leave your side. I don’t know what he has planned for you, but I did overhear him saying he had big plans for you. That you were special.”


	13. Chapter 13

It was another 10 days before Winter was well enough to be released from Loki’s personal hospital. She spent the first 5 days of those 10 days still hooked up to IV’s and machines that monitored her health, pain and nourishment. She had three nurses and two healers dedicated to her 24/7, by order of King Loki. The five of them had the same electric blue eyes as the men at the compound before the war. On the sixth day, she was deemed able to eat solid foods and start physical therapy. Both of her legs had been broken, her right leg sustaining two breaks and a fracture while the left was broken in four places. One of the healers explained that King Loki had spent quite a bit of energy mending her broken bones, not just in her legs but arms, ribs and cheek, through the use of his magic. But the mending bones were still delicate and required time to fully heal properly, so she stayed wrapped in thick bandages. But her bruises and cuts were healing quite well.

Tony came to visit her everyday, for a few hours while she was still in the hospital rooms. And once she was released to King Loki’s personal chambers, Tony managed to take his tinkerings and workings with him to spend longer periods of time visiting with Winter. In the King’s personal chambers, Winter was given a wheelchair to get around the rooms. She had two guards, both with the electric blue eyes, who stood in the door ways of any room she was in and a single personal servant. The servant did not have the electric blue eyes, and seemed to be working as a servant of her own accord. She told Winter her name was Tanya. 

Twenty days after the invasion, Tony and Winter were sitting in the lounge of Loki’s chambers, Winter slowly taking a couple steps to walk from the chair to the couch. Tony being the perfect sarcastic model of inspiration, sitting at the far end of the couch, taunting Winter with a glass of wine. Just before she managed that final step to be in front of the couch, the doors flew open and Tanya walked in.

“Lady Winter, a letter from the King has arrived for you,” Tanya announced, holding out an envelope. Tanya stopped several feet away from the couch. It had been very clear from the first day she started working for Winter, under King Loki’s orders, that Tanya didn’t like Winter. 

Winter started standing up to take the letter, but the progress took too long for Tanya’s liking, so she flicked her wrist to send it fluttering in Winter’s direction. The letter floated in the air for a few seconds, just outside Winter’s reach, before landing on the floor. With an aggravated sigh and a heavy eye-roll, Tony got up, handed the wine glass to Winter and picked up the letter. He shot Tanya an angry glare before turning back to Winter.

Winter sat down again before taking the letter. The front of the envelope was addressed to  
My Flower. The seal on the back was green wax and held the signet of two snakes twisting around each other, forming the symbol of Loki. But the wax seal had been broken. Winter looked up to see Tanya, still standing next to the couch.

“You don’t deserve his attentions,” Tanya hissed. The moment Tanya had been sent to be the chambermaid for King Loki and his, whatever Winter was, she made it perfectly clear that she didn’t like Winter and would much rather be in her place. 

“When he comes back, you are more than welcome to take his attentions away from me,” Winter answered. “I’ll put in a good word for you.”

Tanya snarled something about Winter being ungrateful, before stomping away.

“Seriously, what is wrong with that woman?” Winter asked with a shudder. “Why does she think being on this side of Loki’s attentions is a good thing?”

“Because she’s a power-slut,” Tony explained as if it were obvious. “There is an astonishing amount of people, both men and women, who think it’s better to be used and abused by those in power than to be left out in the cold. Never understood that line of thinking myself. What does the great god-king want?” The angry sarcasm in Tony’s voice when speaking was more venomous than she thought he was capable of. 

Winter opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a thick piece of off-white parchment folded into thirds. Unfolding it, Winter found the regal handwriting she knew to be Loki’s.

Dear Flower,  
I have been informed you are recovering from your injuries appropriately. I understand you have been released from the hospital wing and are now comfortably resting in our chambers. Continue your physical therapy and following all instructions given by your healers and guards. I want you in good health when I return.  
Europe and Asia have fallen under my rule and, like North America, Central America and South America, have pledge fealty to me as their Sovereign Ruler. I have been assured Africa and Australia will be even easier to bring under my rule. I shall return to the tower by month’s end. Until then, know I will continue receiving updates on your health, well-being and behavior.  
I expect you to be ready when I return. I have such plans for you, my Little Flower.  
Your King,  
Loki Laufeyson

Winter finished reading the letter, out loud, for Tony, and looked up.

“Month’s end,” Tony grunted. “We have less than two weeks before he comes back.”

“Great. Then I get to find out what his big plans for me are,” Winter groaned. She gingerly pulled her legs up onto the couch and leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. “Why couldn’t he have just bought the damned books and left me alone? What the hell am I doing here?”

“You worked at a bookstore?” Tony asked. Winter nodded. “What was he doing in a bookstore? What a weird place for him to stop.”

“Tell me about it. Apparently, he’d just gotten here, from wherever he’d been and was looking for a distraction, or some comfort or something. I’m not entirely sure. I wasn’t even supposed to work that day. I was called in because my boss had just canned the new guy who was doing some kind of drug selling scam thing. You know, where his clientele would come in and buy a book that had something extra stashed in the pages.” Winter sighed. “If Loki had come in just an hour later, I would have been gone. And considering my boss was a 200 pound half Samoan half Korean man with no hair, I bet he would have fared the encounter better than me.”

“Do you have family back in Arizona?” Tony asked.

“Not in Arizona, no. I was just going to school there. My family are all in Montana, both parents and a brother. God, I can’t even imagine what has happened to them since this whole shitstorm started. I wonder if they’re alright.”

“Maybe, since, you know, Loki seems to like you, you could ask to see them. Or at least get word of how they are.” Tony was trying to be comforting, but it wasn’t a skill he used often. He sat next to Winter on the couch as they continued to discuss Loki’s letter, how misguided Tanya was and about their families and loved ones. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been eleven days since Winter received the first letter from Loki. She had received four more, all with varying degrees of vague indications of his Big Plans for her. In one letter he mentioned she would receive education on proper Royal etiquette. In the next she was told a seamstress would be visiting her for proper measurements and that Winter would be getting a whole new wardrobe upon his return. In the third letter, Loki expressed a deep concern and irritation that her progress with walking and standing was going slow. He stated in the letter that she was expected to work harder and be able to stand for at least two hours by the time he returned. 'Or there will be consequences,' the letter conveyed his threat very well. The last letter came on the tenth day. 'See you tomorrow, my Flower Queen' was all it said.

The day after the second letter arrived a woman of incredible beauty and elegance came to Winter in the King’s chambers.

Tony had been teaching Winter how to play chess and was just about to take a bishop when the doors to the chambers were thrown open, interrupting them. Tony’s mouth fell open almost immediately at seeing the tall, leggy blonde woman glide into the lounge area. 

“Lady Winter,” the woman said in a voice as cold and emotionless as her pale, blue eyes. “I am Lady Amora. His Majesty, King Loki has sent me to see to your training.”

“Who are you to Loki?” Tony asked before Winter could get a chance to say anything.

“You should learn to address the King properly, mortal,” the Lady Amora snarled at Tony. “I am an ally to the King. That is all you need know.”

“What kind of training?” Winter asked.

“We will start with etiquette and manners to be used while you sit with His Majesty in court and meals. As well as proper protocols and vocabulary. Now, stand and show me your curtsey,” Amora demanded. 

Already aggravated by the woman's callous and cold demeanor, Winter lifted her chin and met Amora’s eyes.

“How can a woman who can’t even present a civil demeanor teach me about manners?” Winter narrowed her eyes and regarded Amora with indifference. 

“You little bitch!” Amora snapped. She moved quickly and grabbed Winter by the hair, throwing her from the chair to the floor. Winter’s crash against the tiled floor disrupted the table on which the chess board sat, causing chess pieces to tumble and thump Winter on their way to the floor. “You have no business sharing his bed or his throne!” Amora brought her hand back to strike Winter, but Tony jumped up and shoved the woman away. The woman staggered back, not expecting Tony to have done such a thing. Her cold blue eyes were burning with rage. “You dare to touch me, mortal?” She snarled. Just before she could retaliate, the doors burst open and two of Winter’s guards entered the chambers.

“What is going on?” one asked. Amora immediately calmed herself and started smoothing her disheveled hair and dress. 

The two guards looked from Winter, who was trying with great effort to stand from the floor, to Amora who was clearly still glaring daggers at Winter. 

“She attacked Winter,” Tony said. He knew the guards were sworn to protect Winter, that they were the ones who reported to Loki periodically about the goings on in the tower concerning Winter and himself.

The first guard stepped between Winter and Amora. “Lady Amora, His Majesty gave explicit instructions. You were to tutor Lady Winter in court protocol, etiquette and manners. You were expressly forbidden to lay a hand on His Majesty’s Lady and warned of the punishment should you choose to ignore His command.” The guard looked over Amora’s shoulder to the other guard. “Take her to the prison cells to await His Majesty’s return.”

The second guard grabbed Amora’s arm, roughly and began dragging her from the chambers. Tony and the first guard turned their attentions back to Winter, who had finally managed to stand and was holding the table for support.

“Are you alright, kiddo?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, fine.” She was rubbing her head where Amora had ensnared her hair. “First Tanya, now this woman? Seriously, why me? I never asked for this.”

“If you are well, I will return to my post, my’lady.” The guard didn’t wait for Winter’s reply, closing the door behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~

The guard called for a messenger to meet with him after his shift ended. Sitting in his personal room, the guard dictated a message to be delivered directly to His Majesty, King Loki. The young lady wrote without interruption.

My King,  
Your Lady Winter met with Lady Amora today. Lady Amora did not heed your warnings and was not civil towards your Lady. I was not present, but Mr. Stark said Lady Amora attacked your Lady. After questioning further, it appears Lady Winter has been both verbally and physically attacked by her personal servant, as well. Mr. Stark continues to spend the majority of his time with your Lady, both as company and protection. Lady Amora is in the prison cells, as per your instructions. Lady Winter is faring well, but her healers are concerned. Her physical strength is not returning as quickly as they had thought and believe her emotional well-being is the cause. Please send your instructions as soon.  
Yours,  
Lady’s Guard Derrick Matthews


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this has taken so long to update. Between one kid being three, being pregnant and having our second kid, and a lot of changes in my personal and professional life, writing had to take a backseat to life. But I am back. I am inspired to write again. And I give you the next chapter! It's a bit long, but I hope you like it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to his word, a seamstress arrived to take Winter’s measurements the day after the second letter arrived. 

A sweet old woman with a black bag and an apron was escorted into the King’s chambers. Winter and Tony were sitting at the same small game table they’d set between two chairs. This time, instead of chess, the table had playing cards scattered about it’s surface. Tony and Winter watched the old woman approach with suspicious caution. 

“Miss Winter?” the old woman asked. Winter nodded. “I’m Anita Mills. I was brought here to make you a new wardrobe according to... King Loki’s specifications.” It was clear the older woman struggled with addressing Loki as he’d commanded. Winter looked at the woman for a moment. Her eyes were brown, not electric blue. 

“Were you a seamstress before the invasion?” Winter asked.

“Yes. I worked with a designer here in New York before... Anyway, about a week ago a bunch of men came into our studio and demanded we come with them. We were told we are being hired to create one of a kind clothing for the new King’s Lady,” Anita explained. She looked rather tired and worried. Perhaps hired wasn’t quite what had happened, Winter thought.

“Have you been hurt?” Winter asked.

“Not yet, my dear. But we have been threatened. I am to take your measurements so we may get started and have a few items ready when the King returns.” 

Winter gave a small smile and stood up. “What do you need me to do?”

“If you could just stand as straight and still as possible while breathing normal, I can get this done rather quickly,” Anita said as she removed a tailor’s tape measure and small notepad with pen from one of the apron’s pockets. Winter moved away from the table and her chair, giving Anita more room to move around her. Anita took her time and measured Winter thoroughly. When she was done, she pulled a sketchbook from her bag. Tony watched in quiet contemplation as Anita made several quick sketches of Winter, for future reference. When she was satisfied, she allowed Winter to return to her chair.

“The King sent us some specifications for the clothing we are to make. We are supposed to use fabrics in varying green hues. But we were told we can make a few garments in which ever colors you prefer.” 

“My favorite colors are blues and purples,” Winter said simply. 

“Thank you, Miss Winter. When we have some pieces I'll be back to tailor them properly.”

Anita gave a small smile before turning and leaving. 

“I bet you've had plenty of clothes personally tailored, huh?” Winter asked Tony. 

“Oh you know it. It's kind of nice having clothes made just for you,” Tony conformed. “But it's kind of odd Loki would go through so much trouble...”

“For a plaything like me?” 

“I wasn't going to say that,” Tony said, rolling his eyes dramatically, then shrugged. “But yeah.”

Winter shrugged as she gathered the cards and began shuffling them. “What do you suppose the clothes he's having them make will look like?”

“I'm not sure, but I hope they're as, shall we say, alluring as the last set he had you wearing.” Tony gave Winter a mocking wink and cheeky smile. Winter couldn't stop herself from blushing, which caused Tony to chuckle. Winter tossed the deck of cards at Tony with a huff. “Whatever happened to that dress?”

“It was hardly a dress,” Winter replied. “I'm assuming it was destroyed when I was nearly crushed. I was surprised, actually, that he hadn't set another like it aside for me to wear when I recovered. I'm glad it's just been the sun dresses.”

“Probably wants to save the skimpy stuff for himself.” Tony shuffled the deck a couple times before dealing. “What are we playing this time? I can teach you poker. Got any money?”

~~~~~~

The day after the third letter arrived, Winter's physical therapist started stepping up her therapy, much to her dismay. Tony had tried to be supportive, but was often sent away until the end of her sessions, as the therapist found him to be irritating and distracting. The physical therapist’s name was Kevin, and after the first few sessions, Winter discovered that he’d been picked up somewhere in New York and told he’d be rehabilitating her. That seemed to be a theme with the people working with Winter. Most of the people working in the tower were either under the influence of Loki’s mind control (as Tony explained) or were being forced to work there in some regard. A few days after she’d been relocated to Loki’s chambers she was introduced to her personal chefs. Her personal maid, Tanya, was brought in the same day. Tanya was one of two people who seemed to be under Loki’s employ willingly. The other was, of course, Amora. But Winter hadn’t seen anything of Amora since the first day she’d arrived. But had a feeling that wasn’t the last she’d see of her. 

As the days went by, Winter, who had been staying locked away in Loki’s chambers like some fairytale princess stashed away in a castle, began getting anxious. She didn’t like being cooped up in the three rooms, even if they were huge and spacious. She hated that everyone else was free to come and go upon their own schedules, but she couldn’t. Tony was the only solace she had. Visiting her daily, and for longer and longer lengths of time. Tanya came and went as needed to do her chores and provide Winter with anything she may request, which was usually books or art supplies. But Tanya was not a welcome visitor, she often insulted Winter and found new ways to torment her when she was particularly unsettled by some adoration Loki had sent to Winter. After Anita had visited with a mock-up dress for tailoring, Tanya accidently managed to ruin an entire basket of laundry, leaving Winter with one pair of panties, no bras and a single, disheveled looking sun dress. Winter’s personal guards were made aware, somehow, and Tanya was punished by having to replace everything she’d ruined. 

It was the day of the arrival of Loki’s final letter, letting Winter know she’d see him tomorrow. After reading the letter, Winter felt panic and fear start bubbling inside her. She tried to focus on her physical therapy, but found herself drifting off into terrified contemplation of what Loki had planned. When Chef Marius came with her lunch, she couldn’t find her appetite. And when Tony finally came up to visit her, she couldn’t think enough to make small talk. 

“So what’s eating you, kiddo,” Tony finally asked.

“Loki’s going to be back tomorrow,” Winter replied solemnly. She was just pushing her food around on her plate. Not really interested in eating the dinner Chef Marius had made. 

“Yeah, I’ve been told he is en route,” Tony admitted. “Been trying not to think about it myself. I’ve been maybe, you know, avoiding doing the stuff he wanted me to do. I just don’t like the idea of any of my tech working for him. I’ve created some minor pieces he can use but nothing as lethal as the Iron Man suits. I don’t care if he has Pepper stashed away somewhere, I can’t give him that tech. I also, finally, set up a new AI system for him, because I am not giving him JARVIS.” Tony shoved his plate aside and looked at Winter. “But I guess you would have more of a reason to be uneasy about that lunatic’s return.”

Winter shrugged. She wasn’t sure what to expect when Loki came back. She wasn’t sure what Loki would expect. The rest of the evening went by quietly, as the two talked about nothing in particular. 

~~~~~~~~

It was early morning when Tanya and another maid came into the King’s sleeping chambers.

“Get up!” Tanya shouted. She loudly threw open the closet, looking through the clothes. The other maid went into the bathroom to draw a bath. 

Winter grumbled, but she had become accustomed to Tanya’s harsh wake-up service. She groggily rubbed her eyes, yawned and stretched her arms above her head. She took her time getting out of the bed, trying not to think about why Tanya seemed more agitated than usual. Not bothering to say anything to the irritable maid, Winter made her way to the bathroom where the second maid had ready a bath.

“My Lady,” the second maid said when Winter entered the room.

“Please, just call me Winter.” There was a new aroma wafting from the bathtub. It was a delicate mixture of lavender, rose and something Winter couldn’t quite place. “Did you use new oils?”

Since she had been set up in the King’s chamber, Tanya had been adding certain oils and salts to Winter’s baths. Tanya said she had been instructed to do so to keep Winter’s skin soft and her hair silky. The second maid nodded, “Yes, the King has requested the scented oils plus the honeyed oil today.”

“The King?” Winter’s mouth was suddenly dry. He was back. 

“Yes, my Lady, he sent us to get you ready and bring you to him in his council’s room before breakfast. He is currently meeting with his council but commanded you be brought to him immediately.”

Winter thought she was going to faint. All the air in the room seemed to become too thick for her to breathe properly and her head felt fuzzy. She clutched the side of the large tub and tried desperately to control her breathing. 

“Are you alright, my Lady?” the second maid asked, rushing to Winter’s side.

“Not really,” Winter gasped.

“Oh, you have to be kidding!” Tanya snapped from the doorway. “What’s wrong with you now?”

“She just became ill,” the second maid tried to explain.

“This, right here, is proof you don’t deserve his attentions. You can’t even bathe yourself! Why is he so taken with you? What spell have you placed on him that you are a better choice than the rest of us? You are such a disgrace!” Tanya ranted as she began roughly pulling at Winter’s dressing gown.

Anger bubbled up in Winter, temporarily displacing the panic she’d been feeling. She stood up and slapped Tanya’s hands away.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Winter demanded. “This is not a situation I’d wish on my dearest enemy. That man is a monster! He’s a villain! He invaded our world, has taken it over and is doing his best to subjugate humans. I am nothing more to him than a trophy of his victory. I have no idea what he has planned for me, but none of it is going to be good. He doesn’t actually care about me. I’m a prized showdog to him, nothing more. You think he’s going to show me some soft side, love, affection and compassion. Have you not been paying attention over the last several weeks? He’s going to treat me like a toy, some object to show off and use as he pleases before discarding me for something new! Why do you think this is some great gift?”

Tanya and the second maid stood silent and still for a moment. Winter had worked herself into a fury, but refused to shed the tears welling in her eyes. She sniffled and brushed her hair from her face as she turned to the large bathtub. Before Tanya could come up with anything to say, the three women heard the bedroom door open and close and the sound of heavy footsteps walking around the room. 

Tanya ran from the bathroom to see who had come in. Winter stood next to the bathtub, tense and unsure if she wanted to know. A moment later, Tanya walked back into the bathroom with a garment bag. 

“His Grace, King Loki says you are to wear this today. No shoes, hair down and loose. You have an hour,” Tanya read from the attached tag. She hung it on the hook behind the bathroom door and unzipped the bag. Inside was a deep green satin dress. Immediately Tanya turned to face Winter. The look on her face was deadly, and Winter knew right away Tanya was going to lose it. Winter and the second maid exchanged a look just as Tanya began stalking angrily toward Winter. Winter backed up as far as she could go, but the large tub standing a few feet behind her impeded her movement greatly. 

“Fancy dresses! Priceless jewelry!” Tanya all but shrieked. Winter could see the maid about to go feral. This was not going to end well, for either one of them. 

“Tanya, you need to calm down. Don’t do something stupid, please,” Winter tried. But the other woman was beyond reason. 

“She’s right, Tanya,” the other maid said. She slowly approached Tanya, attempting to defuse the situation before it got out of control. But as soon as she was close enough, Tanya attacked her. The second maid didn’t know what to do, she put her arms up to shield her face. Tanya was a force of rage and clawed, hit and shoved the second maid until the poor woman feel backwards, hitting her head against the hard corner of the of the freestanding bathtub. There was a sickening crack as the second maid head hit the corner, and another when she fell limply to the ground. Winter gasped as she fell to the floor next to the fallen maid. Blood was pooling around the maids head. Winter was at a loss for what to do. She started screaming for help, but before the guards posted outside her door could push their way into the bathroom, Tanya grabbed Winter by the hair and jerked her of the floor. Winter slipped in the blood on the tile floor, making Tanya loose her grip. Winter tried to scramble away from Tanya’s onslaught of nails and fists, but continued to slip and slide, eventually falling and slamming onto her hands and knees. The jarring effect stopped Winter from trying to retreat, giving Tanya enough time to kick her in the ribs, sending her further onto the floor. By the time the guards finally arrived in the bathroom, Winter was covered in the blood from the floor, and had succumbed to multiple new bruises, and possibly a few cracked ribs. 

The two guards restrained Tanya, pinning her to the far wall of the bathroom, away from the fallen maid and the crumpled Winter. 

“We sent for help,” said one of the guards to Winter, as they continued to hold a still raging and screaming Tanya. Winter slowly made her way over to the fallen maid. There was no sign of life left in the woman, Winter would have been surprised if anyone could have survived a blow to the head and massive blood loss such as this. She gently laid a hand on the woman’s cheek. 

The help the guards had sent for arrived in the form of two more guards and two familiar faces. A man in a black uniform carefully approached Winter. She could hear his voice, she knew it should sound familiar, but she couldn’t make out any of the words. Looking down at herself, she saw all the blood on her hands, arms, legs and feet. Without thinking, she began trying desperately to scrub the sticky red liquid off her skin, but when it didn’t start disappearing, she became more upset and started to rake her nails over her skin in an attempt to remove the drying blood.

“She’s in shock,” someone said. “Barton, get me a towel.”

It was like an out of body experience. She knew someone was crouched on the floor next to her, she heard the voice, saw the man, felt the fluffy towel being draped over her shoulders. But at the same time she didn’t understand what was being said, couldn’t recognize the man and had no idea why a towel was being wrapped around her. It was confusing and startling.

“Barton, tell His Grace what happened. Guards, take that woman to the prison cells,” the man next to Winter instructed. “I’ll get Winter to the infirmary. Send someone to collect the body.” 

Suddenly, Winter felt as if she were floating. Then everything went black.

~~~~~~~~~

“What happened?” A low, smooth voice rumbled its way into Winter’s mind and stirred her from her sleep. 

“The maid, Tanya, was attacking your Lady when we arrived, my King.”

Winter’s heart fell. She knew, without having to open her eyes, who was in the room with her. Willing herself to remain calm, she slowly opened her eyes, and found herself lying under the covers of the giant four-poster bed in King Loki’s bedchamber. Shifting and attempting to sit up caused a jolt of pain to rush through her body stemming from her side, making her hiss in pain. The noise didn’t go unnoticed and she became very aware of several sets of eyes on her. One set looked terrifyingly angry and murderous.

Loki stared at Winter for a moment, assessing her mental and physical state, before addressing her. “Flower,” he said, his voice softer than when he’d spoken to the guards. He took a few steps closer to the bed. “What happened? Why was your maid beating you? Who killed the other maid?”

Winter flinched at the mention of the fallen maid. She didn’t deserve to die like that. No one does. There were no excuses she could convey on behalf of Tanya, not that she really wanted to. The woman was deranged. Unstable with a violent streak. She closed her eyes and took a few breaths before speaking.

“Tanya was... jealous. She was angry and went into a rage when you sent that dress,” Winter explained. “The other maid tried to stop her, but Tanya hit her and the poor woman fell, hitting her head on the tub and then the floor.” She attempted to swallow down the lump forming in her throat. “I tried to help her, but then Tanya started after me...” 

“I see.” Loki turned to the guard with whom he’d been talking. “Inform Captain Rogers and Agent Barton to meet me in the Throne Room in an hour. Now leave.” The guard bowed and left quickly, leaving Loki standing at the end of his bed, staring at Winter.

“You were supposed to be healed by now,” he said.

“I was until... wait, what time is it?” She looked around the room, but upon remembering there were no clocks, she looked to the windows. It was still light outside, so she assumed it must be around lunch time.

“It’s just after noon. You haven’t been unconscious long.” He sat on the edge of the bed next to Winter. “It is quite unfortunate I find you, yet again, injured. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you were finding ways to keep yourself in this state in an attempt to avoid me. But then I remind myself, you’re too clever to think continuous physical ailments will deter me for long.” He leaned in close, his hand slowly making its way up to her throat as he spoke. His fingers firmly wrapped around her slim neck, thumb resting under her chin in a way that kept her looking up at him without being able to pull or look away. “I will have you.” His other hand wandered up her side. Unfortunately, his strong hand hit a tender spot and Winter yelped in pain, trying to pull away. “Ah, yes. The healers said that bitch bruised a couple ribs. I should be grateful it’s only bruising and nothing was cracked or broken.” He removed his hand from her side and anchored it at the back of her head. “You’re so fragile. So frail. To think, one strong movement on my part and I could break you so easily. Kill you in mere seconds.” His infamous smirk rolled over his face as he watched the fear and panic wash over her. He heard her breathing falter and felt her pulse pick up speed. “I suppose I’ll just have to be careful with you and ensure your safety with a more competent enforcer when you are not with me, if I plan to keep you.”

Winter felt as though she might faint again when his lips crashed roughly against hers. His kiss was possessive, dominating, almost aggressively passionate, but there was something else she felt hidden in the depths of it. There was a longing to it. To his very touch. As if he was seeing her for the first time. Touching her for the first time. Kissing her for the first time. And it sent a wave of terror through her she could barely repress.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent way too long trying to figure out how to make this chapter a more reasonable length, only to finally decide to just make it two chapters and post both at once. You will thank me later, I hope. This first part has a bit of graphic gore in it, so be warned. The next chapter has what you've all bee waiting for. Enjoy!

When Loki finally pulled away from Winter’s lips, she was more lightheaded than she had been earlier. He kept his hand wrapped behind her neck, the other lingered lightly on her side. Winter bit down on her bottom lip and tried her best to keep her eyes level with his. She didn’t want to show him any more fear than he’d already invoked. 

Loki sighed. “You need to get ready. This morning’s events have put us behind schedule. Since we missed breakfast, we will meet with the council during lunch. I have sent for another maid to aid you getting ready.” He finally released his hold on her and leaned back. “Get up. You’ve wasted enough time.”

Winter tried to get off the bed, but the amount of pain that shot through her body had her falling to the floor. Or would have if Loki hadn’t caught her with an arm around her waist. He pursed his lips together. He held his free hand over her abdomen and emitted a green-gold glow that danced over her body for a few seconds before settling into her skin. Winter shuddered and sighed in relief as the glow settled. “There, now you should be able to move easier.” He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “Get started and I will send the maid in when she arrives.”

For the second time that day, Winter found herself standing in the large master en suite. The blood from the day’s earlier events had been cleaned and the room smelled of disinfectant and soap. Upon inspection of herself in the large mirror above the vanity, Winter found herself to be quite a mess. Though she was thankful she wasn’t caked in dried blood, she was also surprised. Apparently, someone had washed her and changed her into a new nightgown. Secretly, she prayed it hadn’t been Loki. Despite technically being clean, Winter decided she still desperately wanted a shower. She couldn’t see the blood anymore, but she could still feel it.

As she was finishing with her shower, Winter heard someone walk into the bathroom.

“Lady Winter?” a kind sounding, female voice called.

“I’m almost done,” Winter replied.

“Very well, dear. I will get your dress ready. His Grace has instructed me how he wishes you to be prepared.” 

Stepping out of the shower, she was startled to find an older woman with a very kind face standing next to the shower stall with a large, fluffy towel. 

“I am Mary,” the woman said. “I have been instructed to tend to you from now on as your personal maid. Now, we only have a little time left, so let’s get you dried and I’ll comb through that hair while you do your make-up. Sound good?”

Winter could only nod. This was all feeling a bit too surreal. 

~~~~~~~

Loki sat in his chair, attempting to reading to pass the time until Winter was ready. But his mind was too preoccupied on the events of the day to focus on the pages in front of him. He had been upset when Agent Barton interrupted his meeting with his possible council members to tell him his Flower had been attacked by her maid and was being taken to the infirmary. He left the meeting without a word to the humans in the room and followed Barton. Two healers were already attending to Winter, removing the blood soaked nightgown and assessing her injuries. Two severely bruised ribs, severe contusions along her sides, arms and legs, and some cuts and scratches all over her face and arms. She was lucky, the healers told him. A beating like she’d taken should have done more damage. Of course, he knew why she hadn’t sustained worse, but that was his secret and was not about to let anyone else in on it. 

Sitting, waiting for his Flower to be ready, Loki contemplated his council. There were several humans who have come out of the shadows since his win in New York to pledge loyalty to his reign. There was one rather large, secret organization called HYDRA who surfaced almost immediately. They had embedded themselves so deep into various governments and corporations all over the world, Loki recognized their potential as allies right away. A terrorist, or rather extremist, organization called the Ten Rings found Loki when he was in the middle east a couple weeks ago. Their leader, a man calling himself Mandarin, pledged fealty to Loki, with the understanding that he’d be sitting on Loki’s Ruling Council. As soon as Justin Hammer discovered Tony Stark had been defeated and enslaved by Loki, he approached Loki and made a deal- the services of Hammer Industries, if Justin was granted a seat within the Ruling Council. A group of assassins came forward, a representative named Nobu offering their services. And finally, an underground technological organization called Advanced Idea Mechanics sought Loki out, looking for their in on Loki’s Council. Along with various other people from around the realm who thought themselves worthy of sitting on Loki’s Ruling Council. He had set up meetings with each individual group or person to determine their merit and how they will contribute to his reign of Midgard. Quite a few had been dismissed back into basic ranks and roles, as Loki couldn’t find much use for them. All the individuals who came in alone, with nothing to offer but themselves were assigned to various commanding positions set up at Loki’s outposts throughout the realm. He had managed to narrow the candidates for his Ruling Council down to six men.

As Loki began mentally assigning duties for each Council member, the sound of the bathroom door opening broke his concentration. When he looked up from the book on his lap, he was momentarily caught off guard. Winter was standing in the doorway, looking far more stunning than he had anticipated. The deep, olive green color contrasted her hair more beautifully than he’d accepted. The strapless, ruched bodice hugged her curves in all the right ways, and the layered cascading skirt rested just above her knee to show off her luscious pale legs. His eyes roamed over her body, taking in everything, before finally landing on the gold collar circling her neck. Even after everything that had happened to her, his collar was still in place. 

“You look absolutely delicious, dear Flower,” Loki purred. He stood up and stalked over to Winter, who tried her best not to shy away. “Come, we have many things to get done before dinner.” He took her hand, gently, and lead her out of the room.

This was the first time in a month Winter had been outside of the King’s Chambers. As she walked behind Loki, she couldn’t help but feel a small wave of excitement at leaving those rooms. The hallway leading from the King’s Chambers to the elevator was nothing special to look at, but even so, Winter was mesmerized. It wasn’t until Loki pulled her out of the elevator onto another floor that she stopped in awe. The elevator opened up directly into a short hallway with a heavy looking door standing opposite the elevator. The hall was lit by two sconce lamps on the adjacent walls to the door. There was a single table standing against one wall and a freestanding cupboard against the other one. Loki lead Winter to the dark door before stopping. He turned to look down at his beautiful Flower, his face a stern, fearsome mask.

“Beyond this door is my Council Room. No one who steps into that room is allowed a weapon, except me. So you will be safe. You are to sit where I tell you, and speak to no one other than myself. Do you understand?” Winter nodded, taking in the severity of his tone. “Do not leave my side, and pay attention. I wish for you to be as perceptive as I know you to be.” Though confused, Winter nodded again. She watched as Loki opened the cupboard and pulled out a long, golden scepter with a glowing blue gem centered between two lethal looking blades. Winter recognized it as the scepter Loki wielded in Stuttgart and during the battle that overtook New York. 

“Why do you keep that in there?” Winter found herself asking before she thought about it. 

But Loki didn’t seem to mind the query. “I don’t,” he simply said.

“What?” Winter knew she was missing something. 

“There are several of these cupboards around the tower. They are all connected to each other, and to a part of a specially designated dimension created through my seidr, allowing me to store things and be able to retrieve them wherever I may be. This is a very valuable, very powerful tool and weapon, but it has no place inside our private chambers, so I store the scepter inside my magical dimension. The cupboard is just an access point.” Before she could ask any of the other questions buzzing around in her head, Loki opened the door. As he walked through the door, pulling Winter with him by the hand, a shimmer of gold and green energy enveloped Loki shifting his plain green, pleated tunic and black trousers into his custom Asgardian Armor, minus the gleaming horned helmet.

In the middle of the large room, which appeared to be a re purposed conference room, was a large, wooden table with simple wooden chairs standing around it. Standing behind each chair was a man or woman, all wearing various business attire or uniforms. The head of the table was situated in front of the door Loki and Winter had just walked through, with two chairs waiting. One chair was made of dark wood, larger than all the others and ornately carved, with a deep green cushioned seat and back. The one sitting next to it was of the same wood, with the same carvings and cushions, but about half the size. 

'Sheesh, wonder who sits there', Winter thought, shutting her eyes for a moment to avoid rolling them. Somehow, she knew he’d have seen it and would have been displeased with the sass. 

“My King,” everyone in the room said in unison. 

Loki tilted his head, indicating his acknowledgement of their greeting, before sitting himself comfortably in his chair. With a smooth tug, Loki pulled Winter to sit in the chair next to him. Before addressing the others in the room, Loki placed the scepter into a holder attached to the arm of his chair. 

“Be seated. We have a lot to go over, and a short time in which to do so.” Loki sounded bored already. He watched as each person took their seats. “Where did we leave off?”

A man Winter hadn’t noticed earlier emerged from the far corner of the room and began laying papers out in front of each person, Loki included. Winter did her best to follow the various topics being discussed, but she was missing a lot of information, so wasn’t keeping up very well. One man, an older man in a smart suit with sandy graying hair and a handsome weathered face spoke of the dismantling of SHIELD from the inside out. Another man with a distinct German accent and monocle explained how his team was working with Dr. Selvig in developing weapons with the energy from the Tesseract. Nearly two hours into the meeting, she found her mind wondering to what Tony was doing, or what the weather was like, or what they would be having for dinner. It wasn’t until she felt Loki running his hand through her hair that her mind was brought back to the present. She looked over at Loki, who was leaning back against the chair at an angle. His legs were splayed wide out in front of him and he was mindlessly playing with her red tresses. He looked almost as bored as she was. 

“And finally, Your Majesty,” said an older man. “What is to happen to the maid from earlier?” Everyone was staring intently at both Loki and Winter. Clearly, they had been told of what happened.

Loki straightened in his chair. “The servant wench who assaulted and killed another servant, and dared to harm my property?” His voice was laced with venom as he recounted Tanya’s transgressions. The whole group nodded. “She is to be dealt with after this meeting.”

“And... you said you had another announcement, My Lord?” a woman reminded him.

A devilish smile swept over Loki’s face. He unfolded himself from his seat and stood to his full, menacing height. “Ah yes. So I did.” He bent slightly to grab hold of Winter’s hand and gently drew her from her chair to her feet. “This beautiful creature is WinterRose McBride.” Winter was not fond of how everyone was looking at her. Curious, calculating gazes were looking her over as if appraising a plate of food and finding it unappetizing. But Loki was clearly reveling in the moment. “Winter, here, is to be my Queen. We will be married in one month as part of the official coronation ceremony we discussed this morning.”

Winter just stared at Loki in utter disbelief, suddenly forgetting all about the other people in the room. Until the sandy-gray haired man from earlier spoke up.

“Congratulations, My Lord,” he said. “She is a magnificent prize and will make a beautiful queen for you.” 

Others chimed in with congratulations and well wishes, before Loki silenced them with a wave of his hand. 

“Yes, and taking a Midgardian Queen will solidify my claim of this realm in the eyes of the other Eight Realms. Even Odin himself won’t be able to dispute my rule, once an heir is produced.”

Winter visibly paled. Did he just say heir? Loki was overwhelming her with all this information. She had assumed she was just going to be some trophy-toy until he got bored and forgot about her. Now he was talking about her being his wife, his queen. Having his children? Her situation was getting worse by the second. Loki finally looked down at the young redhead next to him, smiling as if what he’d announced was a graciousness he was granting her. 

“Now, it’s time for us to go to the throne room,” Loki stated. “The maid and Lady Amora are to be sentenced for their transgressions against my Queen.” He pushed his chair back, took his scepter from it’s holder, wrapped his arm around Winter’s waist and pulled her with him back through the large wooden door behind their seats. Winter expected Loki to magic away his armor and store his scepter back in the cupboard, but he didn’t. Instead, he continued walking to the elevator, taking it down another few levels. When the elevator stopped this time, it opened into a comfortable looking room. There was a sitting area with a few chairs, a bookcase, a table, and a map of the world pinned to a wall. There were no windows. A single door stood opposite the elevator. Next to the elevator, Winter noticed an intercom system in the wall. Loki left Winter standing in the middle of the room as he set his scepter against the wall before taking a seat.

“You’ve been rather silent,” Loki stated, several minutes after they’d arrive in the room. Winter had been free to roam the room, finding a book on one of the shelves. She had just settled into one of the chairs when Loki spoke to her.

Winter looked at Loki, who was staring back at her, passively. “I’m... not sure... I’m not sure what to say,” she finally whispered. “What do you want from me?”

Loki regarded her for a moment before answering. “An interesting question, Flower. And maybe, in time, we can explore what I want in more depth. But for now, just know, you are mine. You will be my wife, my Queen. You will obey me, submit to me, as your husband and King. I will care for you, provide for you and in return, you will provide me with anything and everything I want, including heirs.” He watched her with keen, knowing eyes, as she digested his words. He had noticed how she reacted in the Council room when he announced her to be his Queen. She visibly paled and held her breath when he mentioned heirs. Her reaction was much the same this time. “Does that thought upset you, Flower?”

Winter was clearly unsettled. She stared back at Loki, trying to figure out what to say. Before she could finally answer, someone knocked on the door. 

“Enter,” Loki acknowledged. A man wearing a uniform of black, green and gold leathers and armor entered the small room. 

“My King, the prisoner’s are waiting outside the throne room,” the man informed Loki. Loki nodded his head and the man left.

“Are you ready to face your attackers, Flower?” Loki asked. He stood up and took his scepter from the wall and held out his hand to Winter.

“What’s going to happen?” she asked hesitantly, taking Loki’s hand. 

“This is a sentencing for the servant Tanya and Lady Amora. This will be the first statement for my reign. A perfect opportunity. I wasn’t expecting it to be something to come by you, but it works. You and I will walk into the throne room, you will sit next to me. Both women have already been found guilty for their actions against you. They will be brought into the room by armed guards. I will explain to those present what their crimes are and then hand down their sentence.”

Loki knocked on the door and it was opened by the same man who had come into the room a few minutes ago. Loki walked through the door, pulling Winter by the arm right behind him. The door opened at the back of a dais. Standing in the center of the dais was a large, ornate, golden throne with black and green leather detailing and a deep green plush cushion. Sitting to the right of King Loki’s throne was a smaller, but just as ornate, golden throne with similar black and green leather detailing and deep green cushion. Loki brought Winter to stand in front of her throne, he in front of his. When he turned to the crowd that had gathered for the event everyone knelt, murmuring hails to their King. And Winter saw the most dangerous, smug smile creep over Loki’s face. He was relishing in this moment. On his throne. In his new kingdom. In front of his subjects. He banged the end of his scepter against the stone dais, and everyone stood. Loki nodded to Winter, who took that as her cue to sit. Loki, however, remained standing.

“Bring in the prisoners,” he bellowed. The expression on his face made it very clear to all who looked at him he was in control, and was reveling in it. The heavy doors at the back of the room opened and six guards walked in with two women between them. Winter recognized the women, Tanya and Lady Amora. They were both in shackles and ragged looking clothes. Amora looked more a mess than Tanya, as if she’d been locked away without the chance for a shower and barely a scrap to eat. Tanya was still in her maid’s clothes, but they were grimy and covered in dried blood. Both women looked frightened, and rightly so. The first two guards, Winter realized, were familiar. One she recognized as Agent Clint Barton, Loki’s head agent from before he took over. And the other one, Winter gasped when she saw him standing at the bottom of the dais, looking up at Loki with such deference. Steve Rogers. Tony had told her Loki had captured him, was controlling him. But she was startled to see him here, nonetheless. 

The group stopped at the bottom of the stairs for the dais. The guards all bowed respectfully. Amora curtsied, but Tanya remained frozen in fear. During the walk from the doors to the dais, murmurs had grown among the gathered crowd. But as soon as the guards righted themselves from their bows, the room fell into a deep silence.

“Amora, former Enchantress and Lady of Asgard, and Tanya, former servant of the House of Laufeyson, you stand convicted of crimes against the Crown and it’s Queen.” Loki’s voice was crisp and rang throughout the room. “Amora, you were clearly instructed, by none other than myself, your King, not to harm my Queen. You had been informed of her injuries, and were told she was healing as best she could, given she is merely mortal. Yet, you struck her in a fit of anger, and insulted her presence at my side. These transgressions can be considered treason against the House of Laufeyson, and against the King and Queen of Midgard.” Amora gasped sharply, a mixture of anger and fear clearly etched on her dirty face. “However, as this is your first offense, and a fairly minor one at that, instead of the traditional sentence for treason, I will give you one last chance. Amora, you are hereby stripped of all your titles, and powers, to become the official Assistant to the Queen of Midgard.” Amora looked absolutely shocked. And Winter was pretty sure she knew why. The tone of the room felt suddenly different. Everyone was sure, so sure, Loki would call for the woman’s head. But handing down such a lenient sentence was not what anyone expect from such a God as Loki. 

Realizing she had been staring at Loki with her mouth open and eyes wide, Amora suddenly shifted her demeanor. “Thank you, my King. I will not fail you again.” She curtsied to Loki, then turned her attention to Winter and curtsied again. Loki waved his hand and two of the guards stepped forward and took Amora out of the room. When she was gone and Tanya was left standing at the foot of the dais surrounded by guards, Loki finally sat on his throne. He looked down on the former servant with disgust. The room sat in silence for several long moments before Loki finally broke the silence. 

“Tanya,” he said, standing up again. He held his hand out towards Winter and bid her to stand with him. When she stood, he grabbed her hand and walked to the edge of the dais. “You are one of few who were clever enough to pledge fealty and surrender your service to the Crown. It was for this reason, I chose you to be the personal chambermaid for my Queen. And from the very start, you have abused your position over other servants and have verbally assaulted my Queen on multiple occasions. Today, you attacked and killed a fellow servant, and then, attacked my Queen with the intention to kill her.” Loki paused to look over at Winter, who was looking rather stunned at standing next to him. With a smile that would have been reassuring and affectionate coming from anyone else, but was nothing but menacing coming from Loki, he brought Winter’s hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “For such treacherous actions, there is only one fitting punishment.” He continued to hold Winter’s hand, turned his cruel blue gaze on the trembling woman at the bottom of the dais and began descending the stairs, pulling Winter with him. They came to stand between Captain Rogers and Agent Barton. “Tanya Martin of New York, for your crimes against WinterRose, Queen of Midgard, and the House of Laufeyson, you are sentenced to death.”

The reaction among those present was mixed. Some gasped in shock and horror while the other gasps sounded more like approval and encouragement. Winter’s shock of Loki’s declaration stole the breath from her lungs. She felt a weight settle on her chest as she watched a guard walk over to Loki with a large ax in hand. As Loki inspected the weapon, the other guards grabbed Tanya, who had started to back away, shrieking and sobbing. They pushed her down to kneel on the floor in front of Loki, who nodded to the guard with the ax. Winter’s blood ran cold as she watched the guard raise the ax above his head. One of the guards grabbed Tanya’s hair and yanked her head down, exposing her neck to the ceiling. The ax fell with such force, a sharp crack was heard as it embedded into the stone floor. Something rolled, wetly, over the smooth stone surface, ending with a thump against Loki’s heavy boot. Silence hung in the air as he looked down on the limp form hanging between the guards, being held up by it’s arms, still in their grasp. He kicked at the head staining the toe of his boot with blood. 

“Have this cleaned up and burn the body. The head will go with the others on the fence with the crimes of the wench written into the cage,” Loki explained to the guards still holding the body of Tanya. He gestured for Captain Rogers and Agent Barton to follow him. It was only when he tried to pull Winter with him up the stairs that he realized her state.

Winter was barely breathing. She was trembling violently, tears streaking down her cheeks and staring at the blood trail on the floor with unblinking, unfocused eyes. Loki gently took hold of Winter’s chin and tugged it so she was facing him. But her eyes were not looking at him. 

“She’s in shock.” Loki looked at Captain Rogers. “Meet us in my chambers.” And then suddenly, Winter and Loki were gone.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I give you... Loki finally claiming Winter as his!

Loki let Winter sit on the bench in front of the window while he talked with Captain Rogers and Agent Barton. He informed them they were to become Winter’s personal bodyguards. They were to devise a schedule between themselves to ensure she was never without protection. After giving them further instructions on what was to be done over the next couple of days, he dismissed them both, explaining that they would not be needed for the rest of the day as he planned on keeping Winter with him inside their chambers.

After the two men left, Loki made himself busy pouring tea into a delicate cup. He added a bit of honey and milk, along with a few drops of a green liquid from a small vial he pulled from his pocket. He placed the vial back in his pocket before taking the cup over to Winter.

“How are you feeling, Flower?” Loki asked as he approached her resting spot. Stopping next to her, he gently cupped her cheek and turned her head to look up at him. She had stopped trembling, her tear-streaked cheeks were finally dry and her eyes seemed to finally focus on him. “Drink this, it will help.”

Winter accepted the cup without hesitation and sipped without thought of consequence. Almost immediately she began feeling a warm, tingling sensation flow through her body. At first it was a pleasant, comforting warmth, but as she finished the cup of tea, she started to feel as if her body was aflame. Impulsively, Winter set the cup on the bench next to her and began rubbing her arms and neck in an unconscious attempt to extinguish the flame. It wasn’t painful, and when she touched her own skin, if felt rather nice, but where she wasn’t touching felt hotter and uncomfortable. 

Loki watched with great interest as she rubbed and pet her arms, neck and legs. He smiled with devious delight when he extended a hand, ran the back of his knuckles down her arm and felt her lean into the touch with a soft whimper. His eyes gleamed when Winter realized what she had done and jerked herself away from him, nearly falling off the bench.

She stared up at Loki with wide, fearful eyes as he moved closer again. He traced his fingertips from her temple, down her cheek near her ear to her supple neck. When he carefully wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, her excited, unbidden gasp caused his trousers to become uncomfortably tight. 

“What’s wrong, Flower?” he asked in a husky, deep purr. She had closed her eyes as he’d moved his hand to her throat, but they shot open upon hearing his lust filled voice. 

“What did you do?” she whined, again ripping herself from his touch. She shot up onto unsteady legs and shuffled her way across the room away from Loki. But Loki was in predatory pursuit, chasing her in a slow, lascivious manner that directed her movements without her realizing it. 

“I merely gave you a cup of tea. I believe the kitchen maid called it chamomile? I added a bit of honey and milk.” As he spoke, he continued to herd Winter towards their bed. When the back of her knees hit the mattress, he stopped his advancements and towered over her. “And I added a bit of this.” He pulled the vial of green liquid from his pocket and held it in front of her face. “A simple potion to help calm your nerves.”

“Then why do I feel like my skin is on fire?” Winter asked breathlessly. Though her brain was getting a bit foggy, she knew enough to be concerned that he’d basically just drugged her. 

“That would be one of the side effects,” Loki explained. “You see, with the proper dosage, this little potion can calm the nerves while simultaneously acting as an aphrodisiac, in a way. That fire you feel spreading throughout your body turns into raw pleasure when I touch you, does it not?” Again, Loki moved to touch her face, but stopped an inch away and just held his hand there, waiting. Without thinking, Winter moved on some baser instinct and nuzzled her cheek against his large, cool hand. Closing her eyes again, she let out a breathy moan, before the fog in her brain cleared momentarily to be replaced with a spike of fear. But she couldn’t bring herself to pull away this time. She could only look up into Loki’s victorious eyes, silently pleading with him to end his torment. “There’s my good Flower. My sweet, precious little Queen. That’s my good girl.” His gentle, affectionate words had Winter melting further into his touch, despite the fear in her eyes. 

“Please,” she whimpered. But she wasn’t sure what she was pleading for. Her mind was drifting in and out of a state of fear and pleasure, as her body rushed to submit to his touch. And all he was doing was cupping her cheek. She wanted to tell him to stop. Tell him she was frightened. But the words were getting lost between her brain and her mouth. 

“Please what?” he growled. Watching the war between her mind and body flicker over her delightfully flushed features had him growing harder than he thought possible. If he didn’t rid himself of these irksome clothes soon he’d go mad. He pushed himself against her, moving his hand from her cheek to the back of her head as his other hand snaked around her back to keep her standing. He pressed his hips against her and smirked when he felt her tremble under him. 

Winter felt the rather impressive bulge press against her as he held her, and all thought flew from her now mesmerized mind. The only thing that remained was one thought buzzing around inside her. “Please,” she tried again. “Please... don’t hurt... me.” She could only hope he understood her request.

Loki furrowed his brow as he took in her words. Her body was completely ready to submit to his every carnal desire, but there was still a hint of fear lingering in her eyes. He processed her words, running them through his own lust filled brain. “I have no intention of it, my Flower. Just surrender yourself to me, and I will show you worlds of such exquisite pleasure.”

But he didn’t wait for her reply. Instead, he dove forward, claiming her lips with his own in a fierce, heated kiss. Winter’s breath was literally stolen from her lungs from the sheer force and desperate passion of the kiss. When Loki moved from her lips to kiss up her jaw to her ear, Winter was surprised to find herself lying under him on the bed. He licked and nibbled her ear, sending jolts of pleasure coursing through her. She was trying to cling to what was left of her rational brain as she writhed under him. And Loki found himself clinging to the last shreds of self-control he had. Feeling her react to his onslaught of intimacy was almost too much to bare. As he moved from her ear, down the side of her neck to her shoulder, he magicked away both their clothes, without warning. Winter felt the cool air rush against her bare skin and for a moment stopped all her movements, stilling in the shock of being utterly exposed to the maniac King above her. Her arms and legs moved of their own accord, arms crossing over her chest and legs crossing at the ankles with thighs pushed together. Loki pulled away from her just enough to take in her naked form. He was straddling her legs, and when he sat back to gaze down on her, he growled with approval. Winter was small, there was no denying that. Wide hips hid a soft tummy, and sprouted down into long, shapely legs. Her skin was satin smooth and pale like fresh cream. Loki carefully pulled her arms away from her chest, unveiling small, round breasts and pert pink nipples. 

As Loki drank in the sight of her, Winter drowned in the sight of him. There was no denying he was a God, built as he was. Lean muscles defined a broad chest, narrow hips and long legs. His skin was cool, smooth and pale. And she could feel the impressive weight of his very erect manhood resting intimidatingly on her thigh. The fire was burning within her, her own skin begging for Loki’s cool touch to calm the flames. The pressure of him on her legs, his hands holding her hands down on the mattress on either side of her head and the exotic smell of his personal scent- leather, musk and mint- threw her body into a frenzy. She wasn’t sure if she was struggling to be free, or writhing to entice Loki into further intimate explorations. All she knew was she needed ... something. 

Watching her twist under him like a caged wild animal hurtled Loki over his edge of self-control. He leaned forward, licking, nibbling and sucking his way from her shoulder, across her collarbone to her delicate breast. He smiled wickedly as felt her body arch up when he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. Winter cried out in pain, however, when he bit down sharply. Her body freezing up, and the sound of her fear in her heavy breathing brought Loki back and in a fraction of a second, he felt his control return. He kissed and licked the pained mark he’d created, soothing Winter away from the fear, again. He drifted to her other breast, licking and sucking, mindfully being more gentle than he had just been.

The shock and pain of having Loki bite her nipple had cleared some of the haze from Winter’s mind. But as he soothed the too sensitive area, she found herself being dragged back into the ocean of pleasure Loki was creating. She felt him abandon her breasts and lick and kiss his way down her middle leaving a wake of sensations that seemed to wind their way through her body and pour into her center. She felt him slide further down her body, his hands letting go of her wrists, gliding down to rest on her hips. When she felt him place a gentle kiss just above her pubic bone, her whole body froze again. In the flood of bliss, she had lost track of where he was and what he was doing to her body. But now, with him hovering just centimeters away from her most private area. Instinctively, she clenched her thighs together tighter. But this did nothing to deter Loki. In fact, it only seemed to drive him further. He firmly pushed her legs apart, spreading them across the bedding, wide enough to nestle himself between them. The fog in her mind was slowly being nudged aside as panic set in. She hesitantly brought her hands up to push against Loki’s arms in a futile attempt to shove him away from her lower half. He was looking at her the same way a man dying of thirst looks at a glass of water. And it frightened her. 

When Loki finally realized what Winter was trying to do, he looked up at her terrified green eyes. “Shhh,” he purred, leaning down to her and brushing his lips against hers. “Be still, Flower. I won’t hurt you.” As he spoke reassuringly to her, his right hand drifted from her outer left thigh to her inner thigh where it teased it’s way up to the the apex. The moment his knuckles tapped against the outer edges of her lower lips, Winter let out a loud gasp, dug her nails into Loki’s forearms and tried to jerk her hips away from him. But Loki was expecting such a reaction and held her firmly in place with his other hand. He continued to shush her and whisper gently against her skin as he worked his way back down her body, both hands staying right where they were. Carefully, as he continued his slow descent, Loki dipped a finger just inside her entrance and was excited to find how wet she’d become. Her body and mind might be warring between ecstasy and fear, but she was aroused and dripping for him. 

Just a taste, he thought as he positioned himself between her thighs. Eyes glazed over in hungry desire, Loki licked up her slit, finding his way from her entrance to her clit, where he stopped and circled it twice with his tongue. Winter’s whole body went rigid from the new sensation, hands dropping to the mattress and hips pulling away from his invading tongue. Her breath caught in her throat and for just a second, Loki thought she might climax from that single oral assault. He continued a slow, torturous charge against her sensitive little pearl, every once in awhile diving lower to lick between her folds to savor her juices. All the while, Winter’s body twisted and writhed in an erotic dance, attempting to both wiggle away from the violating muscle and move with it. The sound of desperate moans filled the room, and it took Winter a moment to realize they were coming from her. A coil was being wound inside her she’d never felt before and all she could muster were breathy, wanton sounds. Another sharp, pained gasp rushed out of her when Loki shoved a single finger past her lips into her channel. He pressed the invading digit against her walls, testing her tightness before he stopped moving completely. 

Blinking, then raising both eyebrows, Loki looked up at Winter in surprise. She was panting, clutching fiercely at the bedding under her. 

“What delight is this,” he purred, licking his lips and moving up her body to come face to face with her. She had become so flushed with the pleasure he’d thrust upon her that he could just barely tell she had started to blush. “Have I been so lucky to have found myself a pure and untouched maiden in this cesspit of a realm? Oh, my Flower, you truly are a precious thing! To think, I am to be the first and the only Being to touch you like this. To make you writhe and moan in ecstasy and to torment with such pleasures as I please. You are truly mine, WinterRose. Forever!” As he spoke, he pushed another finger into her wet, searing entrance, curling and scissoring them as he pumped them in and out of her. Winter winced and groaned at the new sensation, unsure if it was painful or just uncomfortable. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt Loki pull his fingers completely out of her. 

But the relief was short lived as she felt something much larger, something thicker, nudge against her entrance. 

“Please...” she began, as Loki slowly pushed the blunt tip of his engorged cock into her.

He was leaning over her, nuzzling against the side of her face, ear and neck. “Shhh. I have no intention of ruining you, Flower. Relax, it will only hurt a moment, then the pleasure will return.” 

Inch by inch, he gently thrust himself further into her until his cock broke through her maidenhood. A pained cry rang out as Loki seated himself fully inside Winter, filling her so completely she thought she would rip in half. He continued to nuzzle, kiss and nibble Winter’s ear and throat as he stilled himself inside her, allowing her time to adjust, even if it was just barely. When he felt her rotate her hips against him, he withdrew halfway and thrust firmly back in. As she began responding positively to his movements, he began plunging into her deeper and harder. The room was filled with the sounds of exquisite mewling gasps from her and desperate grunts from him. 

It had felt like an eternity since Loki had began his pursuit of Winter, but as the coil wound tighter inside her core and he droved deeper, she felt the blinding bliss of her first orgasm rising fast. Loki felt it as well.

“Cum with me, Flower!” he demanded as he pressed his fingers against her overly sensitive clit. His growling, demanding voice and the overwhelming pleasure sent her cascading into a powerful orgasm. Feeling her walls clench and clamp down on his throbbing member, Loki fell into his own release, moaning as she wailed. 

Winter had no idea how long she floated in the euphoric state of post-orgasmic bliss. But when her eyes finally opened and her mind felt a bit more clear, she realized three things. She was still lying on the bed, naked. Loki was no longer on top of her. In fact, Loki was nowhere to be seen. And she felt absolutely emotionally and physically exhausted. And abandoned. It was overwhelming, the feeling of loss and abandonment. What happened? She wondered as tears welled in her eyes. Why did her leave? 

Winter rolled over onto her side, groaning at the intense pain radiating between her legs. She curled up into herself and closed her eyes, tears leaking out, unbidden.

“Ah, there you are, Flower.” Loki’s voice floated across the expanse of the room. It was quiet and more gentle than Winter had ever heard. She dared to open her eyes and saw Loki walking towards her from the en suite. A bowl in one hand and a cloth in the other. He set the bowl and cloth on the nightstand and sat next to Winter on the bed. He looked down at her saddened face and frowned before realizing what was wrong. Without a word, he scooped her up. She was still sitting on the mattress, but with his arms wrapped around her and her head cradled against his, still, naked shoulder. “I did not leave you, Winter.” He spoke softly, running his hand over her hair soothingly. Winter let Loki hold her, not willing to say anything, unsure of what had just happened. 

After what felt like hours, but must have only been a few minutes, Winter whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Surprised, Loki shifted so he could gently place a finger under Winter’s chin and bring her face up towards him. “For what, Flower?”

Winter thought for a moment. She didn’t know why she was sorry. It just felt like she should apologize for something. “I don’t know,” she confessed.

“There is nothing to be sorry about, Flower. The fault, if there is any, lies with me. I should have realized, this being your first time, that you would be emotionally confused and physically exhausted when you came down from the euphoria I threw you into.” Loki watched his words register, slowly, in her mind. It was his very indirect way of apologizing for her emotional break. “I wish to take care of you, Flower. Please lie down again. On your back.” 

Winter obeyed quietly. As she re-situated herself on the bed, Loki dipped the cloth into the bowl, wrung it out and pressed it gently between Winter’s legs. The cloth was warm and wet. Winter realized, he was cleaning her. He was caring for her. What an odd thought.


End file.
